Marguerite Casey Foundation

Summer School Series

SummerSchool-2 (6)

To meet the challenges and opportunities of this moment, MCF launched Summer School in collaboration with visionary organizers, activist scholars, and experts to provide live events and political education that spark the solidarity we need to create a future centered on the well-being of people and the planet.

While some describe the threat of fascism in the United States, many are already living it.

In Texas, a man charged with murdering a protester was pardoned by the state’s governor, normalizing violence against those seeking to hold powerful people accountable.

In Mississippi, a court is ordering an independent newspaper to expose confidential sources after a story ran exposing political corruption, threatening the First Amendment protection afforded journalists.

Stephen Miller, an architect of white nationalism, raised $44 million in November 2023 to sue donors, nonprofits, and local governments that seek to correct historical wrongs by committing to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Across the country, organizers are being named terrorists for fighting for the sanctity of life in Palestine, the health of our planet at Standing Rock, and against the expansion of the prison-industrial complex at Cop City. The stakes could not be higher, and those of us who care about freedom—funders in particular—need to understand the history of how we got to this moment. We must also lean into the role we can play in helping fuel multiracial coalitions powerful enough to combat the forces of fascism and win a vibrant democracy and just economy.

Be part of the solution. Register now to join MCF’s Summer School: Building a People- and Planet-Centered Future.

As my team and I continue to hold Summer School events, I am more convinced than ever that political education has the power to spark the solidarity essential for creating a future focused on the well-being of people and the planet.

I hope to see you in Summer School!

In solidarity,

Dr. Carmen Rojas

Wednesday October 30

09:00 - 10:00 (AM PT)

Dr. Carmen Rojas President & CEO, Marguerite Casey Foundation

Dr. Angela Davis Author: Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the Foundations of a Movement

Dr. Marc Lamont Hill Professor of urban education at CUNY

Dima Khalidi Founder and director of Palestine Legal

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Freedom Is a Constant Struggle

Due to overwhelming demand, our in-person event sold out, so we’re offering a special bonus session of our popular MCF Summer School series: a virtual exploration of Dr. Angela Davis’s powerful book Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement!

Join us online to dive deep into the connections between movements from Ferguson to Palestine and beyond. Our esteemed panelists will shed light on how the legacies of past liberation struggles inform today’s fight against state violence—both in the US and around the world. Together, we'll explore what abolition feminism can teach us about today’s global struggles for liberation and discover how each of us can contribute to the ongoing struggle for freedom. Building a freedom movement worthy of the name is a tall order, but our lives depend on it.

Project 2025

This critical conversation explored how Project 2025, if implemented, could gut government agencies, reduce government accountability, and further ensure corporations and the wealthy are the only beneficiaries of the public good. The blueprint, funded by conservative donors and philanthropists, includes using public dollars to target "enemies" of the right, including government workers, corporate regulators, environmentalists, union leaders, scientists, racial justice advocates, educators, and more.

Watch highlights from the conversation here!

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The State of Student Protesting

This conversation explored how student organizers and their allies are taking collective action to protect innocent lives, demanding their right to free speech, and calling on universities to disclose and divest from corporations that profit from apartheid, occupation, and genocide.

Watch hightlights here!

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Framers of Fascism: Knowing the Protagonists on the Right

This session explored key people behind the right’s contemporary political formation and provided attendees with an opportunity to develop a common language around the threats and opportunities progressive organizations face amid the new reality facing many in our communities

Watch highlights from the conversation here!

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Why Government Matters: Let’s Talk about the Jobs It Creates, the Services It Provides, and What Happens If We Can't Count on It

This session explored what government is and what’s at stake if it’s unable to serve the public good. Government has a role to play in delivering basic economic security for all, combating the global climate crisis, and developing core safety net programs like Social Security and Medicaid.

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Disclose and Divest: Why This Call to Action and How We Make It Real

This session explored the political actors, social movements, and central legal arguments driving this troubling trend, as well as the countermeasures defenders of free speech, political freedom, and academic freedom are pursuing to fight against this rising tide of repression.

Video coming soon

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Attacking the Right to Hold Powerful People Accountable

The session explores the political actors, social movements, and central legal arguments driving the erosion of legal protections for protest and free speech, as well as the countermeasures defenders of these freedoms are pursuing to combat this growing repression.

Video coming soon

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