The 1966 Freedom Budget for All Americans was a landmark initiative spearheaded by A. Philip Randolph, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bayard Rustin, with the support of over 150 leaders from civil rights organizations, labor unions, religious groups and academia. The ambitious proposal aimed to eradicate poverty by tackling issues such as unemployment, substandard wages, poor housing and inadequate access to health services and education.
Featuring The Honorable Nina Turner, The Honorable Cori Bush and Tamieka Atkins and moderated by Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, the discussion will examine the enduring relevance of the Freedom Budget in addressing the growing challenges and inequities of our contemporary political economy. Building upon this historical foundation the panel will explore how an updated vision integrating new policy ideas such as baby bonds can reignite the Freedom Budget in our present moment and achieve a new era of inclusive economic rights.
This event is part of the 2025 Henry Cohen Lecture Series, which will bring leading thinkers, changemakers, policymakers, journalists, and activists to the New School to present their perspectives and explore the intersections of race, social stratification and political economy that inspire economic and racial justice.
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A seminal political leader, the Honorable Nina Turner is an impassioned public intellectual, motivational speaker, national news commentator, former professor of African American history, and self-proclaimed “hell-raising humanitarian.” A woman on a mission to improve the world, she has built a massive following nationally and internationally for her leadership and work to create a human-rights economy for all people.
Turner is the founder and President of We Are Somebody, a collation-building organization for the working class. She is a Senior Fellow at The Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School. One of her significant missions is to harness the vision of the historic Freedom Budget for All Americans as envisioned by iconic civil rights leaders Asa Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She is linking a resurgence of labor to the Black liberation struggle as the connective tissue for transformative liberation.
The Honorable Nina Turner served as a national surrogate on Senator Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaigns in 2016 and as national co-chair in 2020. She continues to tirelessly advocate for policies that improve the material conditions of working people across the United States of America and the world.
Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson is an Affrilachian (Black Appalachian) woman from the working class, born and raised in Southeast Tennessee. She is the first Black woman to serve as Co-Executive Director of Highlander Research & Education Center. As a member of leadership teams in the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), Ash-Lee has contributed to the Vision for Black Lives and BREATHE Act. She has served on the governance council of the Southern Movement Assembly, the advisory committee of National Bailout Collective. She is a long-time activist who has worked in movements fighting for workers, for reproductive justice, LGBTQUIA+, environmental justice etc.
Cori Bush, former Congresswoman for Missouri’s First District, is a lifelong advocate for justice and human rights. A nurse, pastor, and activist, she was a key figure in the Ferguson protests before taking office, where she championed housing security, Medicare for All, and economic justice. In Congress, she became the first Black woman to lead the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment, pushing for constitutional protections against gender-based discrimination. She also introduced the Reparations Now Resolution, calling for reparative justice for Black Americans and systemic accountability for the ongoing impacts of slavery and racial discrimination. Additionally, she was a fierce advocate for police accountability, drawing from her frontline activism in Ferguson to push for policies that address police violence and systemic misconduct. Cori also introduced a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing her commitment to global human rights. Her leadership secured historic wins, such as a federal eviction moratorium that prevented millions from losing their homes. Cori continues to push for systemic change, using her platform to challenge injustice at home and abroad.
Tamieka Atkins is a nonprofit executive with vast experience building and leading diverse coalitions focused on the advancement of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and historically underrepresented groups.
Currently, Tamieka serves as Executive Director of ProGeorgia, a non-partisan voter engagement advocacy organization within the State Voices National Network of Tables. She oversees a multi-million dollar budget that provides funding, resources, and training for more than 60 local, state, and national organizations committed to advancing civic engagement in Georgia. As ProGeorgia’s chief strategist, she leads fundraising and infrastructure building for the organization, helping partner organizations increase their capacity and grow the scale of their voter registration and civic engagement programs.
Tamieka is also the convenor of Women of Color Initiative, a project geared toward illuminating the perspectives of women of color across Georgia, supporting their self-determination, leadership and the development of statewide policy agendas. Such ongoing advocacy for Black Women and Women of Color earned her recognition as one of Time Out Magazine’s Women of the Year 2021.
Previously, Tamieka was the Founding Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance – Atlanta Chapter, where she developed a base of African American domestic workers advocating for respect, recognition, and inclusion in labor protections for all domestic workers.
Tamieka serves on the Boards of State Voices, State Innovation Exchange Action (SiX Action), and the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. She previously served on the Boards of the Highlander Research and Education Center, Women’s March Win, Atlanta Jobs with Justice, and the Annie E Casey’s Community Investment Fund. She was also a member of the Host Committee for the 2016 Facing Race Conference.
Tamieka received a Bachelor’s in Multicultural Literature from Hunter College and a certificate in Professional Fundraising from New York University. She is also a graduate of the BOLD program (Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity), was a 2018 Public Voices Fellow for BMe, and a 2021-2022 National Leading from the Inside Out Fellow for the Rockwood Leadership Institute. For her efforts in advocacy and civic engagement, Tamieka received a Black Voices for Black Justice Fund Award in 2020.
Tamieka lives in Atlanta with her two daughters, Layla and Olivia —the next generation of black women leaders.
