The Hampton Institute

The Hampton Institute: A Working-Class Think Tank

The Hampton Institute: A Working-Class Think Tank
Motto	"Providing commentary, theory, analysis and research on a wide range of social, political and economic issues from a distinct, working-class perspective with a focus on the continuation of transforming these ideas into practical steps towards revolutionary social change."
Formation	2013
Type	Media outlet, think tank.
Website	hamptoninstitution.org

The Hampton Institute (HI) is an American "working-class think tank" that was founded in 2013. In contrast to traditional think tanks, the HI is a virtual organization that does not have a physical location and does not seek to provide specific policy analysis for political parties. For organizational purposes, its official location is in Albany, New York with a main address located in Clifton Park, New York, a suburb of Albany. Current chairpersons are located throughout the United States (including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Colorado, Oregon, Hawaii, and California), as well as Canada (Montreal) and Australia.

The HI was founded by Colin Jenkins, a libertarian socialist, with the purpose of giving a platform to everyday, working-class people to theorize, comment, analyze and discuss matters that exist outside the confines of their daily lives, yet greatly impact them on a daily basis. The organization is named after former Black Panther Fred Hampton and also cites inspiration from Italian Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci and educator and philosopher Paulo Freire. In order to remain consistent with their working-class billing, the HI claims to seek organic intellectuals as opposed to traditional intellectuals and scholars. In an interview from 2013, Jenkins even went as far as saying that "credentials are products of privilege" and "essentially mean nothing". Despite this, some members of the Hampton Team, as well as some contributors, possess PhDs.

The organization consists of fifteen departments, each with corresponding chairpersons, as well as a sub-department listed under "Current Projects" which includes a Director of Projects, Actions, and Activism. The fifteen departments are: Criminal Justice, Ecology & Sustainability, Education, Geopolitics, Indigenous Rights, Labor Issues, LGBTQ Rights, Race & Ethnicity, Social Economics, Social Movement Studies, Society & Culture, Spirituality & Religion, Urban Issues, and Women's Issues.