Center for Political Education

The Center for Political Education is a resource for political organizations on the left, progressive social movements, the working class and people of color.

The CPE’s political approach is non-sectarian, democratic, and committed to a critical analysis of local, regional and global politics. We believe that organizing and activism grounded in strong theory and ideas are important tools for movement building.

The Center for Political Education began in 1998 when a group of established community activists, writers and teachers engaged in a series of dialogues. They analyzed left movements and the future of movement-building in the U.S., particularly the Bay Area. The needs were clear: organizers did not have enough time or space nor adequate tools to analyze the political, economic and social trends impacting their work. These gaps in turn made it difficult for organizers and activists to develop strong, clear political strategies that would result in systemic change and fundamental shifts in power.

These dialogues confirmed the need for a center dedicated to building strong movements and a strong left through education, analysis, theory, dialogue, and activism. From these roots the CPE was born.

CPE is a fiscally sponsored project of the Kendra Alexander Foundation (KAF) and is supported by grants from KAF and individual supporters.

cpe banner