Cooperative Journal

Hosted by Ebony Joy
  • 5.0 (10)
  • SOCIAL SCIENCES
Cooperative Journal

Spotlighting stories of how people are collectivizing to meet their needs locally and globally beyond the extractive economic system.

  1. Solidarity Economy Shorts #6: Building Local Solidarity Economies with Beloved Community Incubator

    11/21/2024

    Solidarity Economy Shorts #6: Building Local Solidarity Economies with Beloved Community Incubator

    Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #6A collaboration with New Economy Coalition Solidarity Economy Shorts are conversations with frontline organizations & individuals that are putting solidarity economy principles into practice. They are using different strategies to build an economic system where communities are meeting their own needs outside of capitalism.  Beloved Community Incubator is a solidarity economy movement organization, cooperative incubator, non-extractive lender, and worker self-directed non-profit. They focus on building a regional solidarity economy in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia that centers people, especially poor and working-class workers and people of color, over profit.  In this episode I speak with co-director Bianca Vazquez and community researcher Askalu Habtom. We discuss how Beloved Community Incubator started as a hyperlocal initiative and evolved into regional solidarity economy organizing, the difference between traditional lending and non-extractive loans, challenges and effective tools in collective organizing, how participatory action research influences their work, and actionable steps for navigating times of uncertainty.  Show NotesBeloved Community Incubator Seed Commons: cooperative network for non-extractive finance Dulce Hogar Cleaning Co-op Solidarity Research Center: builds solidarity economy ecosystems using data science, story-based strategy, and action research

    47 min
  2. Solidarity Economy Shorts #5: Artists as Organizers with Creative Wildfire

    07/19/2024

    Solidarity Economy Shorts #5: Artists as Organizers with Creative Wildfire

    Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #5A collaboration with New Economy Coalition Solidarity Economy Shorts are conversations with frontline organizations & individuals that are putting solidarity economy principles into practice. They are using different strategies to build an economic system where communities are meeting their own needs outside of capitalism.  Creative Wildfire supports artists and grassroots organizations to create art that fuels our movements and imagines the world we need to thrive. This cultural organizing project is an embodiment of the strength of coalitions to resource the wider web. Three powerhouse organizations in the movement for a Just Transition and the Solidarity Economy pooled their budgets to redistribute to artists - Movement Generation, Climate Justice Alliance, and New Economy Coalition.  In 2023-2024, Creative Wildfire convened a 10 month cohort that prioritized deeper relationship building, co-creation with a partner organization, and political education. 7 incredible artists and 7 organizations were selected to explore what's possible when we shift from transaction to collaborative liberation.  In this episode Ebony speaks with Lizzie Suarez and Lily Xie, two of the most recent Creative Wildfire grantees. We talk about their roles as artist and cultural organizers, challenges that arise when collaborating with organizations, what can symbiosis look like when artists and orgs co-create, the value artists bring beyond being producers, and the cultural shifts needed to have a just transition in the arts. Show NotesNew Economy Coalition Creative Wildfire Lily Xie Website Lizzie Suarez Website Look Loud: visual strategy accomplices, supporting communities taking control of their own media narratives Building Irresistible Movements: Best collaboration practices for organizations and visual artists Pedagogy of the Oppressed book by Paulo Freire Creative Study ‘Creatives Rebuild Guaranteed Income’: A free course about the three year guaranteed income initiative for artists in NYC Cartoonist Cooperative Episode Music by MADlines

    44 min
  3. Solidarity Economy Shorts #4: Resourcing Black Solidarity Economies

    05/02/2024

    Solidarity Economy Shorts #4: Resourcing Black Solidarity Economies

    Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #4A collaboration with New Economy Coalition Solidarity Economy Shorts are conversations with frontline organizations & individuals that are putting solidarity economy principles into practice. They are using different strategies to build an economic system where communities are meeting their own needs outside of capitalism.  The Black Solidarity Economy Fund (BSEF) was created by the New Economy Coalition to resource, convene, and uplift the work of the Black Solidarity Economy movement. The fund is managed by their member-led working group that has the autonomy to make decisions about who receives the grant and how much is awarded. Since 2020, they have redistributed $730,000 to Black solidarity economy groups across the nation.  In this episode, Ebony speaks with former grantees and members of the working group, Erin Backus from the Maternal Health Equity Collaborative and Georie Bryant from Symbodied. They share about their  solidarity economy organizing in maternal healthcare and agriculture as well as the ancestral wisdom that informs their work. They talk about the collective regranting process and how it felt to shift from grantee to grantmaker. We also delve into the current barriers to weaving a Black solidarity economy network, the future they envision for a robust Black solidarity economy, and some practical ways to activate this vision. Before the interview begins, Shardé Nabors, the Resource Redistribution Director at New Economy Coalition, grounds us in defining the solidarity economy, what BSEF is, the intention for starting it, and their plans for growth and expansion.  Show NotesBlack Solidarity Economy Fund Maternal Health Equity Collaborative  Symbodied Episode Music by MADlines

    54 min
  4. Solidarity Economy Shorts #3: Practicing Abolition with Sol Underground

    02/14/2024

    Solidarity Economy Shorts #3: Practicing Abolition with Sol Underground

    Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #3A collaboration with New Economy Coalition Solidarity Economy Shorts are conversations with frontline organizations & individuals that are putting solidarity economy principles into practice. They are using different strategies to build an economic system where communities are meeting their own needs outside of capitalism.  Sol Underground is an abolitionist ecosystem in Atlanta dreaming of a Black and Indigenous liberated world that is resisting colonial systems of oppression. They are actualizing this dream as an autonomous community-led group that is building, joining, and maintaining networks of care.  In this episode, Ebony speaks with the founder Sunny who begins with defining what abolitionism is and its correlation to the solidarity economy. How their shape transformed from an artist collective to supporting the unhoused community through mutual aid. They share some of the models they organize like Sol Below, a pop up tent that provides warmth and food to the homeless when the temperature drops below a certain degree. They paint a beautiful vision for a world when exploitative systems are abolished, offer practical tips for adopting an abolitionist mindset, and how to put theory into practice.  Show NotesSol Underground  Freedom Archives: dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of historical audio, video, and print materials documenting progressive movements and culture from the 1960s to the 1990s.  Abolition Notes: a free and evolving, volunteer-run education project to make the work of radical and revolutionary movements throughout history fighting for liberation more accessible  New Economy Coalition Episode Music by MADlines

    44 min
  5. Solidarity Economy Shorts #2: Cooperation Among Cooperatives with Co-op Dayton

    11/16/2023

    Solidarity Economy Shorts #2: Cooperation Among Cooperatives with Co-op Dayton

    Solidarity Economy Shorts are conversations with frontline organizations & individuals that are putting solidarity economy principles into practice. They are using different strategies to build an economic system where communities are meeting their own needs outside of capitalism. Co-op Dayton is developing and weaving a network between cooperative businesses that are meeting the needs of their local community. They are using community and worker ownership as a catalyst to transform Dayton’s Black and working class neighborhoods. In this episode, Ebony speaks with program and co-executive directors - Cherelle Gardner and Amaha Sellassie. They begin with defining what a cooperative is and different ownership structures, how cooperative businesses can meet the needs of a disinvested post-industrial city, some of the models they have incubated like T.R.I.B.E a shared-service co-op of holistic perinatal practitioners. They also invite us to think beyond the metrics of success within capitalism, what solidarity and cooperation looks like in our day to day lives, and how we can show up in solidarity. Show Notes Co-op Dayton National Black Food Justice Alliance PODER Emma: provides technical assistance, accompaniment, and lending for the development and sustainability of worker-owned businesses, resident-owned mobile home parks, and community-based real estate investment cooperatives. Seed Commons: ​​national network of locally-rooted, non-extractive loan funds that brings the power of big finance under community control. Economics for Emancipation: free course with interactive and participatory workshops that offers a deep dive into the current political economic system and explores alternative economic systems. Episode Music by MADlines

    48 min
  6. Solidarity Economy Shorts #1: Land Liberation with Nuns & Nones

    10/05/2023

    Solidarity Economy Shorts #1: Land Liberation with Nuns & Nones

    Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #1 A collaboration with New Economy Coalition Solidarity Economy Shorts are conversations with frontline organizations & individuals that are putting solidarity economy principles into practice. They are using different strategies to build an economic system where communities are meeting their own needs outside of capitalism. Nuns and Nones is a community of sisters and seekers connect to explore the themes of justice, spiritual practice, and how to respond to the needs of the times. The Land Justice Project evolved to support these religious communities to reimagine and shift who has ownership and access to the land they are on. In this episode Ebony speaks with Brittany Koteles, the director of the project. Brittany begins with laying a foundation for what land justice is and how the Land Justice Project embodies it through its models and practices. She shares when and why land became commodified, how the aging community of nuns is navigating the mistrust and contradictions that emerge when giving Catholic owned land to Native American and Black people, and ways you can engage in land justice. Show Notes: New Economy Coalition Nuns & Nones Sustainable Economies Law Center Agrarian Commons: model of land stewardship and access that allows for community ownership of farmland Center for Ethical Land Transition: explores ways to decommodify, rematriate, and increase accessibility to land for BIPOC communities

    46 min
  7. [33] Guilded: Freelancer Cooperative

    12/16/2022

    [33] Guilded: Freelancer Cooperative

    Guilded is a cooperative that offers resources to empower freelance workers. They provide contract management, invoicing, guaranteed payments, tax preparation, and health care – which alleviates some of the administrative work so that freelancers can focus on their projects. One of their main intentions is supporting artists as workers and ensuring their basic needs are met. In this episode, I speak with Camila Tapia-Guilliams, a mixed media artist, educator, and community organizer, weaving together narratives of identity, community care, cooperation, and solidarity in their art. We talk about the gaps Guilded is filling for freelancer artists like ensuring they get paid on time, unions as a tool for protecting artists as workers, navigating decisions in a multi-stakeholder co-op, the process of joining Guilded and the benefits included, and visions for a world where artists are honored for the value they create. Show Notes:Guilded Website Camila's Instagram U.S. Federation of Worker Co-ops

    53 min
  8. [32] People Power Solar Co-op: Community-Owned Energy

    10/18/2022

    [32] People Power Solar Co-op: Community-Owned Energy

    What would it look like if we collectively designed decentralized, democratized, distributed, and diversified energy systems? People Power Solar is a California based cooperative that invests in community-led projects to create alternatives to PG&E and other private utilities. They are working to ensure that power can be accessed by all without compromising the health and safety of any community.  I speak with worker-owners Hannah and Crystal about the necessity to transition from privatized energy to localized and cooperative structures. They share some community led projects they support like mobile solar power, framing energy as a verb, how they are shifting from focusing on pooling financial resources to deepening in relationships and dialogue around what energy really is, and why our dominant energy sector is inefficient, overpriced, and unreliable. Show Notes:People Power Solar Website People Power Solar Youtube Podcast episode that inspired framing energy as a verb

    1h 2m
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About

Spotlighting stories of how people are collectivizing to meet their needs locally and globally beyond the extractive economic system.

Information

  • Creator
    Hosted by Ebony Joy
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Cooperative Journal

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