Recap: Beyond Exploitation – Workers’ Self-Management for a New Era
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our March Monthly Speaker Series! We had an impressive participation of over 150 people in person, over 550 live streams, and much constructive dialogue.
Together with Richard Wolff and Kali Akuno we focused on the fundamental social relation to understand our capitalist economy–exploitation– its historicity, and thus potential mutability into forms of workplace democracy. As Richard Wolff put it “if you want to understand why some people have enormous power and the rest so little: it’s about the way we organize work, democracy is a better idea that you might have thought if only you would apply it to the workplace.”
🎥 If you missed the event or would like to revisit the discussion, you can watch the full recording on our YouTube channel.
📸 Event Highlights
Upcoming Event: Saturday, April 5th, 5PM (CST)
According to official statistics, on a single night in January 2024, approximately 771,480 people in the United States were experiencing homelessness, marking an 18% increase from the previous year. Scholars tell us that these numbers are a fraction of the million more that are actually without a home. Child homelessness is escalating. During the 2022–2023 school year, U.S. public schools identified approximately 1.37 million students as homeless, representing a 14% increase compared to the previous year
More than half of the adult homeless population is actually employed— workers are paid too little to be able to afford a very basic need! The growing US social catastrophe mirrors a global trend, deeply rooted in the way our economic system operates. We will discuss the reasons behind the housing crisis and, most importantly, the solutions, with our expert speakers, who possess the rare ability to combine rigorous theoretical analysis with hands-on practice for social change. Gabriela Rendón and Miguel Robles-Durán will share their experiences working with the current Mexican government on housing reform, while Rob Robinson will provide insight into ongoing struggles in New York City and beyond.
📅 Date: April 5th, Saturday
⏰Time: 5 PM CST
📍 Location: 101 E Archer St, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
🎥 Go To Live on YouTube: @CHE-tulsa
Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/ABFUztXwGN
Meet Our Speakers
We are honored to host a distinguished panel of experts:
🔹 Gabriela Rendón is an urban planner, researcher, author, and educator based in New York City. She is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Community Development and the Founding Director of the Parsons Housing Justice Lab at The New School. Her research focuses on community and spatial planning, housing policy, and tenants’ rights, with an emphasis on cooperative and non-speculative housing models. She co-founded Urban Front and Cohabitation Strategies, two organizations dedicated to urban justice and equitable development. Rendón is actively engaged in New York City’s housing and social movements, serving on the board of the Cooper Square Community Land Trust.
🔹 Rob Robinson is a longtime housing rights activist and a Senior Advisor at Partners for Dignity and Rights. After experiencing homelessness himself, he has spent decades advocating for housing justice in the U.S. and internationally. He was a founding member of the Take Back the Land Movement and played a key role in the UN Special Rapporteur’s mission to the U.S. on the Right to Adequate Housing. Robinson has worked with housing movements across Europe, South Africa, and Latin America, and he currently coordinates the USA Canada Alliance of Inhabitants on behalf of the International Alliance of Inhabitants.
🔹 Miguel Robles-Durán is an urbanist, theorist, and educator. He is an Associate Professor of Urbanism at The New School / Parsons School of Design and co-founder of Cohabitation Strategies and Urban Front, organizations dedicated to challenging neoliberal urbanization. His academic work is deeply engaged with bridging theory and practice in urban struggles worldwide. Through his teaching, activism, urban and media projects, Robles-Durán continues to advance critical discourse on urbanization, advocating for transformative strategies that reclaim cities from speculative forces and center collective ownership, environmental justice, and social equity.
Special Thanks to Student Volunteers
We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our student volunteers who have been an invaluable part of our events. Their dedication, hard work, and enthusiasm have played a crucial role in making our gatherings successful.
Get Involved
Email : CHE@utulsa.edu
Phone : 918 – 631 – 3398
Office : Chapman Hall Room 222, The University of Tulsa
