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

Tuesday September 17

09:00 - 10:00 (PT)

Dr. Carmen Rojas Moderator

Tara Raghuveer Director of Kansas City Tenants Union

Faiz Shakir Founder and executive director of More Perfect Union

Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Professor of African-American Studies at Princeton

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Building a Multiracial Working People’s Coalition

Marguerite Casey Foundation (MCF) invites you to join our president and CEO, Dr. Carmen Rojas, in conversation with Tara Raghuveer, Faiz Shakir, and Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor for our “Building a Multiracial Working People’s Coalition” Summer School webinar.

Challenging the threat of looming fascism will require that we build a durable multiracial working people’s coalition. This session will explore the roles that progressive journalists, community organizers, and academics play in weaving together intersectional coalitions. Harnessing the political power of the multiracial working class in the US has been tough. This is the result of those who believe we need to choose between identities or create a “hierarchy of hurt.” We want to offer a different analysis. The truth is, the majority of us have been left behind, underrepresented, and disconnected from each other and the systems that shape our lives. This session will explore how we can support organizing in service of securing a multiracial working people’s coalition. Learn what actions you can take today to build coalitions that can orient our politics toward the needs and dreams of working people.

Please note that MCF Summer School sessions are live events, and recordings will not be available after the sessions. Summer School will be open to reporters who can help spread the important ideas shared by panelists far and wide.

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.

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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.

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