In 2020, our Freedom and Justice for All working group changed its name to the Collective Liberation working group. It also grew to include 8 members of our staff and board. As 2021 dawns, we are placing Collective Liberation at the heart of our strategic planning. Everything we do flows from and leads to collective liberation.
In practical terms, this means we are educating ourselves on how to dismantle oppressive organizational structures and build liberatory practices instead. We are supporting our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (B/I/POC) staff with a caucus and mentorship. We are investing in a diverse board that better represents our regional constituency.
In our programs, we are concentrating on leadership development and ecosystems that support and sustain co-ops through the long haul. Helping co-ops to make connections across historic divisions will make each enterprise stronger. And building partnerships that bring together strength and resources will change the game for co-operators throughout our region.
We encourage you to take advantage of committing to learning more about Black History, donating to Black-led organizations, and paying Black folks for their labor.
Here are a few Black-led organizations in the cooperative ecosystem actively raising funds to increase their resources and support of the Black community:
- Activation Residency is a Black queer and trans led cooperative providing funding and housing opportunities for the Black community. Invest in supporting their co-op here.
- Black Farmer Fund is a start-up community investment fund that invests in Black food system entrepreneurs—such as farmers, food business owners, and distributors—in New York State.
- Tribe is a Black, Queer, and Immigrant led cooperative business based in the Bronx, NY. Join their Patreon to support their work.
- The Compost Co-op Affordable Housing Initiative aims to purchase a multi-unit building (or land that can accomodate multiple living spaces) that would provide affordable housing for their members.
- Card’s By De is a worker owned cooperative that creates handmade crafts. Donate here.
- Green Worker Cooperatives has been leading worker-cooperative development in the Bronx for 15 years. Based in the South Bronx, GWC is a black-led organization serving immigrants and communities of color. Donate here.
“Paying Black folks for their labor”? That sounds comical, in a bitter way. Might I suggest “fairly,” and since Black folks hardly should be the only ones included in such sentiments, I suggest adding on the phrase, “and everyone else.”