Antimonopoly

Centering Anti-racism in the Antimonopoly Fight

04. 07. 2021

A panel discussion on the opportunity to reclaim public power to counter concentrated private power by taking a racial justice approach.

The events of this last year — from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, economic crisis, nationwide protests for racial justice, and more — are putting into sharp focus just how broken our economy is, especially for communities of color. Policy and government regulation have contributed to this fractured economy. Antitrust law and consumer protection are two tools in the anti-monopoly toolbox that structures markets, and many are now wondering how these policy levers can be used to promote racial inclusion and equity. People of color, especially organizers of color, have long known that from working conditions and sub-livable wages to surveillance, corporate monopolies have made things worse for communities of color. Why is corporate concentration and anti-monopoly a racial justice issue? What policy tools and regulatory mechanisms can be utilized toward this goal? How can policy makers, organizers, enforcers, and advocacy groups work together toward an anti-monopoly vision that is also anti-racist? 

This panel will address those questions with a mix of organizers, policy experts, and government officials discussing the opportunity to reclaim public power to counter concentrated private power by taking a racial justice approach.

*Co-partners: Action Center on Race and the Economy (ACRE), Athena, Economic Security Project and Liberation in a Generation 

Panel: moderated by Baratunde Thurston

• Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Acting FTC Chair
• Jeremie Greer and Solana Rice, Co-Founders of Liberation in a Generation
• Sandeep Vaheesan, Legal Director, Open Markets Institute
• Estuardo Mazariegos, Organizer, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE)