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DateTitreDurée
07 Apr 2022[30] Mumbet's Freedom Farm: Black/Brown Led Cooperative Farm01:21:24

Mumbet’s Freedom Farm is a Black and Brown-led cooperative farm located at the base of a mountain in Sheffield, Massachusetts. It is a community sanctuary for connection, creativity, education, and wellness. The name is in reverence to Elizabeth ‘Mumbet’ Freeman, who was an enslaved African nurse, midwife, and herbalist who sued for her freedom in Sheffield and won. The land is abundant with a flowing brook, natural spring, waterfalls, forest trails, and a diversity of natural life.

In this episode I speak with worker-owner DeeArah Wright about their journey from the city towards collective rural land stewardship. We talk about the power of the land to heal trauma associated with Black land history, barriers they experienced when trying to purchase land, how they got into a mutual benefit, non-extractive land agreement, food and land as a source of liberation, benefits and challenges of cooperative farming, establishing local relationships to build financial security and community, holding space on the land for art, education, and play, their plans to create an ecosystem of homesteads and sanctuaries cooperatively owned, managed by Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color.


Connect with Mumbet's Freedom Farm

Website 

Instagram

11 Mar 2021[06] The Mobility Factory: Electric Car-Sharing Cooperative Alliance01:07:01

The Mobility Factory is a European cooperative alliance consisting of electric car-sharing cooperatives. They offer an e-car sharing platform for their members, open sourced coding to adjust the platform to members needs, and transparent democratic decision making processes. As we are shaping more sustainable and densely populated cities, the mobility factory is driven to increase air quality, renewable energy, living space, and user engagement.


In this episode I speak with Lukas Reichel about the environmental and societal benefits of electric car-sharing platforms, benefits of open-source technology, the challenges of sustaining an electric car-sharing platform, innovative features on the platform, and the policies/infrastructure needed to support the development of electric car-sharing in cities.


The Mobility Factory Website

29 Jan 20221 Year Anniversary: Who's Behind CJ?00:48:22

In this special 1 year anniversary episode, Cooperative Journal's host - Ebony Joy finally opens up to share their personal story.

I explain what inspired me to start this form of storytelling, why I've shifted from the language of "alternative economics", expanding into a multimedia/multi-sensory platform, and why this is an opportune times for collectivized economic solutions.

My friend/collaborator Robin also joins me in the later half of the episode to share a bit about themself. They've been central in the recent reinvisioining process and is the visual strategist/artist at Cooperative Journal Media.

Cooperative Journal Media: Media platform that the podcast is now under the umbrella of

Anticapitalism for Artists: A platform for artists interested in anti-capitalism

Creative Wildfire: Group of artists Robin and I joined to make art about "not going back to normal"


Want to support Cooperative Journal?

Share your gifts with us on Open Collective Foundation

16 Nov 2023Solidarity Economy Shorts #2: Cooperation Among Cooperatives with Co-op Dayton00:47:37

Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #2

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. 

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, I speak 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.

New Economy Coalition

Episode Music by MADlines

17 Nov 2021[23] Play Cousins Collective: Black Family Care Network00:55:51

Play Cousins Collective is a Black centered family care network based in Louisville, Kentucky. They are building multi-generational and inter-sectional Black spaces and community resources rooted in ancestral methods of healing and resistance. Through offering programs at every stage of development, from in utero to adult they are able to foster a supported and resilient community.

In this episode I speak with executive director Kristen Williams about the significance of building a village amongst the African-American community. She shares how they started with mapping out all of the Black businesses and practitioners in their community, voids children of color experience in educational institutions and communities, tools they are utilizing to affirm Black power and beauty from a young age, decolonization of mentality and practices, the multitude of programs they offer to all ages, membership structure, how they navigate generational trauma and healing, and more! 

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy DeGruy


Want to support Cooperative Journal?

Share your gifts with us on Open Collective Foundation

18 Mar 2021[07] Equal Care: Caregiving Platform Cooperative00:58:38

Equal Care is a multi-stakeholder cooperative in England that values building trusted relationships between the giver and receiver of support. Their care offerings range from personal care and practical jobs, to help with life admin and community advocacy, to mental health and wellbeing support. Workers get a decent wage without the people getting support having to pay more. The receiver and caregiver are involved in the decision making process and intentionally choose each other to create lasting, respectful, quality care and support relationships. 


In this episode I speak with care worker member Eleanor Bennett and founder Emma Back about the voids they are filling within the current care system, benefits of being an independent care worker of the co-op, using sociacricy for decision-making, their organization model for members, funding opportunities and developmental support for co-ops in the UK, plus more.


Equal Care Co-op Website

Co-operatives UK: Cooperative Support Network

Community Shares: Capital investment for community businesses 

The Hive: Offers business support, mentoring, and training for start up co-ops in the UK

26 Aug 2021[20] Looms of Ladakh: Women-owned Wool Textile Cooperative01:31:25

Looms of Ladakh is a women owned luxury wool clothing cooperative based in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, India. They are a farm-to-fashion initiative, focusing on small-scale and high quality production to illuminate and preserve the traditions of the Changpa nomads of that region. Their pashmina, yak, and sheep wool are of the highest quality in the world. It’s sourced directly from the region and handmade by the local women who’ve been using the backstrap loom for generations. 

In this episode I speak with co-founder Abhilasha Bahuguna about the importance of creating a sustainable source of income to support the Changpa people of Ladakh living in a harsh altitude of 14,000 ft, why their self-sufficient lifestyles are being threatened, the history of textiles in that region, how the co-op is supporting members to reach their full potential, their governance structure, how they received funding, their experimentation with natural dyes, challenges of competing with fast fashion, and their exciting plans for expansion.

01 Jul 2021[16] Essential Food & Medicine: Free Food & Medicine for Underserved Communities01:36:48

Essential Food and Medicine is a mutual aid initiative based in Oakland, CA that started during the pandemic but has done an incredible amount of work in a short period of time. The co-founders integrated their love for community connection, food security, sovereignty, plant, and holistic medicine to create a resource to meet all of those essential needs for people. They reclaim surplus and locally grown produce to make juice, soups, smoothies, and natural medicine for underserved communities for free.  

In this episode I speak with co-founders Xochitl Moreno and AshEL Elidrige. In the first half of the conversation we speak about Essential FAM as a whole -- like the voids they are filling, how they built the partnerships needed to supply the resources, how they distribute the medicine, and then we start to talk about Cob on Wood, a community built with cob they co-created in a homeless encampment. It has a free store, free health clinic, kitchen, bathroom, and community events to empower residents and have a safer environment. We speak about the history of Wood St. benefits of building with cob, how they raised money to build, the impeding and rapidly increasing issue of homelessness in CA, why they are facing eviction and how you can help.

29 Apr 2021[11] Valley Alliance of Worker-Coops: Regional Worker-Coop Network01:00:57

The Valley Alliance of Worker Co-ops is a secondary cooperative, meaning they are a cooperative made up of member co-ops. Their members are apart of a regional network based in Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont. Through this network, they are able to provide developmental support, cooperative education, and ultimately raise awareness to strengthen the cooperative economy.


In this episode I speak with executive director Adam Trott about the benefits of strong cooperative alliances, resources needed for worker-coops to be sustainable, cooperative internships for students, peer2peer learning, and how we can cultivate more cooperation between cooperatives.


Valley of Worker Co-ops Facebook

Valley of Worker Co-ops Twitter

21 Nov 2024Solidarity Economy Shorts #6: Building Local Solidarity Economies with Beloved Community Incubator00:46:31

Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #6

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. 

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 Notes

Beloved 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

16 Dec 2022[33] Guilded: Freelancer Cooperative00:53:10

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

03 Mar 2021[05] Global Center of Advanced Studies: Cooperative College00:57:06

The Global Centre for Advanced Studies otherwise known as GCAS, is the world’s first institution of higher education cooperatively owned by the faculty, staff, investors, and graduates. Students are able to utilize blockchain and earn cryptocurrency while getting debt free education. It is a model designed to challenge the status quo and co-create regenerative systems. 


In this episode I interview the founder Creston Davis and PhD researcher Kim Miller about how GCAS is filling the voids within a traditional college model by implementing blockchain and cryptocurrency, supporting students during and post education, creating collaborative learning environments, securing graduates with assets instead of debt, and more innovative tools.



GCAS Website

GCAS Facebook

GCAS Instagram

GCAS Twitter

05 Oct 2023Solidarity Economy Shorts #1: Land Liberation with Nuns & Nones00:46:14

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

New Economy Coalition

Episode Music by MADlines

19 Jul 2024Solidarity Economy Shorts #5: Artists as Organizers with Creative Wildfire00:44:22

Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #5

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. 

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 Notes

New 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

14 Feb 2024Solidarity Economy Shorts #3: Practicing Abolition with Sol Underground00:43:30

Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #3

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. 

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 Notes

Sol 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

29 Jan 2021[01] Ministry of Space Collective: DIY Urban Development in Belgrade, Serbia00:57:40

Ministry of Space (Ministarstvo Prostora) is a collective from Belgrade, Serbia founded in 2011 with the aim of reflecting on the future of cities. They act in the field of urban and cultural policies, sustainable city development, fair use of common resources, and the involvement of citizens in the urban development of their environment. 


Co-founders Iva Čukić and Marko Aksentijević share how to shift ownership of the commons into the hands of citizens, tips on fostering citizen engagement, resistance they’ve received from the government, some of their DIY projects, and they offer advice on how we can revitalize cities to be people-centered post-pandemic.


Ministry of Space Website

Ministry of Space Facebook

Ministry of Space Instagram

Street Gallery Website

Don’t Let Belgrade D(r)own (Ne da(vi)mo Beograd) Facebook

25 Mar 2022[29] Okionu Birth Foundation: Free Postpartum Care01:01:26

Okionu Birth Foundation offers free personalized meals and group mental health support for low-income BIPOC families during the first six weeks after their baby is born. They collaborate with chefs and the Therapist of Color Collective to provide care in Colorado, Maryland, and Texas. While their free services are currently limited, they are developing an app for a nationwide support network. 

In this episode I speak with founder Jacquelyn Clemmons about how they are prioritizing the mental health and overall wellbeing of BIPOC newborns and their parents. She shares their offerings for holistic and culturally relevant care, food as the foundation for wellbeing, Black maternal health disparities and how they are combating that through their partnership with Irth app (honors the voices of Black and brown woman giving them a platform to review prenatal, birthing, postpartum and pediatric care received from doctors and hospitals), negative effects lack of care has on child development, and stay tuned until the end to go on a multisensory journey into the future of Okionu birth centers.


Okionu Birth Foundation Website

Okionu Instagram

Irth App

Support Okionu on Open Collective Foundation


Want to support Cooperative Journal?

Share your gifts with us on Open Collective Foundation

17 Feb 2021[03] Fairbnb: Home-Sharing Platform Cooperative00:55:58

Fairbnb is a global cooperative that is a non extractive alternative to existing home-sharing platforms. They offer authentic and sustainable travel experiences while funding the development of socially relevant local community projects.


In this episode I interview co-founder Jonathan Reyes about the negative effects of Airbnb on communities, the model they’ve created to keep wealth circulating within local economies, how they are creating a cooperative ecosystem, challenges faced, and more.

17 Jun 2021[15] VinziRast-Mittendrin: Student, Homeless, and Refugee Co-Housing01:36:59

VinziRast-Mittendrin is a co-housing building located in Vienna, Austria where students, formerly homeless, and refugees live amongst each other. It houses bicycle, woodworking and sewing workshops, a restaurant, and event spaces. It’s a collaboration between students involved with the Vienna Audimax occupation, VinziRast which is a volunteer-run organization that offers housing to formerly homeless and refugees, as well as architecture firm Gaupenraub+/- .

In this episode I speak with architect Alexander Hagner who was responsible for the adaption of the building. We speak about the event led to the co-habitation of formerly homeless and students, how they received funding for the building, the intentionality and functionality needed when designing for formerly homeless, changing the stigma around homeless individuals, how they mitigate conflicts, what resources/skills are offered to empower the formerly homeless, and why the residents make ideal housing mates.

Resources:

Gaupenraub+/- Architecture Website

VinziRast Website

Design for the Real World Book

30 Jul 2021[18] O+ Festival: Art for Medicine Exchange00:51:44

O+ is a festival created in Kingston, NY to support the health of underinsured artists and musicians through the exchange of art making and performances for wellness services. Festival goers can experience the medicine of art through everything from murals, films, installations, and live music. At the clinic, artists, musicians, and volunteers can receive free care from allopathic and alternative practitioners including dental, bodywork, mental health, and much more. The greater community is supported with Narcan and CPR trainings, health and wellness expos, classes in the healing arts, healthcare forums, and cycling events.

In this episode I speak with executive director Holly Kelly and art director Lindsey Wolkowicz about the festival’s evolution and the ongoing needs it fulfills. They share what the process is for contributors to join, how they receive funding, creating equal value between health practitioners and artists, recommendations to support artists' health needs outside of the festival, and advice on starting an art for medicine exchange in your community. 

02 Dec 2021[24] Understory: Worker-led Restaurant01:20:08

Understory is a worker-led restaurant, bar, and incubation kitchen in Oakland, CA. In collaboration with Oakland Bloom, they center immigrant, working class, and people of color chefs through pathways to worker-leadership, project support and training, and economic opportunities. It is more than just a restaurant, they offer a platter of ways to physically and socially nourish the community in a co-creative way. You can experience the roots of the workers through their rotating menu of Filipino, Moroccan, and Mexican cuisine, check out local art, attend a dance party, or support an immigrant or refugee chef at their weekly pop-up.

In this episode I speak with one of the chefs Florencio Esquivel about how Understory is shifting the narrative of who receives support and amplification in the restaurant industry. They share how the pandemic influenced the restaurant’s formation, process of assuming responsibilities and navigating decision making, impact and intention of their worker emergency fund, importance of preserving indegenous recipes, and their vision for a changed restaurant world that is horizontally structured while honoring the diversity of workers and their lineage.

Resources

Understory’s Instagram

Understory’s Website

Wahpepah’s Kitchen (Kickapoo Tribe Restaurant in Oakland)


12 Aug 2021[19] Fairmondo: Cooperatively Owned Online Marketplace00:56:08

Fairmondo is an online-marketplace owned by its local users currently based in Germany. It is an ethical alternative aiming to compete against Amazon’s extractive model. With a membership of around 2,200, they are steadily expanding towards their goal to create a global cooperatively owned online marketplace. They prioritize fairness, respect, commitment to transparency, and fair trade products.

In this episode I speak with founder Felix Weth about the online marketplace they are creating to give buyers an option to engage with an economy they can trust. He shares the voids they are filling in the current marketplace, their multi-stakeholder membership structure, what kind of products they offer, how they raised capital, and how they plan on increasing scale to compete with Amazon.

18 Oct 2022[32] People Power Solar Co-op: Community-Owned Energy01:01:33

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

21 Apr 2022[31] Post Growth Institute: Offers & Needs Market00:55:50

Post Growth Institute experiments with tangible practices, tools, and spaces to create a regenerative, full-circle economy beyond capitalism. Through their research, structure, and offerings they embody the ‘Post-growth’ worldview, which sees society operating better without the demand of constant economic growth. It resists an economy that is predicated on growth and depends on the over extraction of finite natural resources and human labor…instead we can create systems that put people and the planet over profit.

I speak with Director of Education Crystal Arnold about mutual aid through the Offers and Needs Market, a space for community members to exchange their passions, knowledge, skills, resources, opportunities, and needs. She shares practices and ideology we need to evolve into a post-growth society, sliding scale vs. open ended pricing, dissolving class differences in the Offers and Needs Market, advice for being in reciprocity daily, the importance of facilitation skills to create spaces of belonging, asset based mapping as a tool for community resilience, and more!


Resources

Offers & Needs Markets

Post Growth Institute Website

Host Your Own Free Money Day

Tools for Asset Based Community Mapping

Crystal’s Podcast: Money Morphosis



06 Mar 2025Solidarity Economy Shorts #7: Feedback is a Gift with Cooperate Western North Carolina00:45:57

Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #7

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. 

Cooperate Western North Carolina weaves cooperative economics and ecological design to nurture a regional-scale mutual aid network to meet community’s basic needs with trust at the foundation. 

In this episode I speak with the founder Zev Friedman. We discuss the relationship between regeneration in natural and human cooperative ecosystems, how they are practicing regional mutual aid through models like bulk purchasing and savings pools, conflict as an opportunity transformation, finding the balance between relational trust building and practical work, and tools for shifting from individualism to a collective way of life.


Show Notes

Cooperate WNC

WNC Food Coalition: Regenerative food system coalition in Western North Carolina

Asheville Nuttery: Cooperatively run nut processing facility in Asheville, NC

Community Purchasing Alliance: A network of local cooperatives that leverage the buying power of community institutions through bulk purchasing in Washington D.C.

Silver Run Forest Farm: Co-founder Jonathan McRay teaches organizers about the process of conflict systems

Transformative Justice Collective: Community group based out of Oakland, CA working to build and support transformative justice responses to harm and violence

10 Feb 2022[26] Tariq El Nahl: Herbal Collective01:22:07

Tariq El Nahl translates from Arabic to Way of the Bees. They are an herbal collective based in Lebanon that formed after the explosion in the capital of Beirut in 2020. Lebanon has been compounded with crises in the past 50 years - from a civil war, to a financial crisis, and most recently the explosion left 300,000 people homeless and a government collapsed. When faced with trauma, broken infrastructure, and governmental systems that fail to meet our needs, how do we heal and progress? Tariq El Nahl is answering this question through fully embodying and bringing people back to their essence - Mother Earth.

In this episode, I speak with Paul Saad, one of the members of the collective.. He poetically shares how they are utilizing land–based practices for reclaiming, highlighting, and accessing ancestral knowledge including creating native botanical gardens, delivering handmade baskets filled with herbal medicine from the land, herbal medicine toolkits as well as how they are raising money to fulfill these needs, and suggestions for finding light and grounding amidst darkness. 

Herbal Guidebook

Mini-doc on Tariq El Nahl

Tariq El Nahl Instagram


Want to support Cooperative Journal?

Share your gifts with us on Open Collective Foundation

24 Feb 2021[04] MARSH: Food Cooperative01:07:52

MARSH is a food cooperative in St. Louis, MO with a fully-licensed kitchen, diner, and food collective. They have implemented a unique model where workers, consumers, and producers work reciprocally as owners. Diner workers, non-working public participants, as well as aspiring, emerging, and professional culinary artists collaborate to grow, purchase, prepare, cook, and serve high-quality food. 


In this episode I interview co-founder Beth Neff about how they are developing an inclusive and circular cooperative food system in a marginalized city. You’ll learn how they are fostering resilience and food sovereignty by offering an affordable and organic varieties of food, supporting local food producers as well as entrepreneurs, establishing a sliding scale market and diner, and more. 


MARSH Website

MARSH Instagram

MARSH Facebook

MARSH Food Cooperative Brochure

24 Feb 2022[27] Manyverse: Decentralized Social Network00:52:40

Manyverse is an open-source, decentralized social network. Rather than a company controlling data and communication, the user has complete ownership and responsibility. Their goal is to make social networking independent of internet connectivity, allowing for “off the grid” communication when disconnected from the internet. 

In this episode I speak with founder Andre Staltz about transforming social networks into a method of communication and community, not a business. He shares why the interweb is dying, what it means to decolonize and demonetize social networking, dissolving hierarchy in social media platforms, how they receive financial support, and a new vision for the world wide web.

Manyverse Website

Open Collective Foundation page

Learn About Local-first Software 

Next Generation Internet - European Union Grant


Want to support Cooperative Journal?

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03 Jun 2021[14] Horta Inteligente: Environmental Care & Awareness in Favelas00:58:13

Horta Inteligente (Intelligent Garden) promotes environmental education to children in the oldest favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As a volunteer-run initiative, they collectively create new ways of inhabiting and relating to the city through agroecology, art, community-based education, and creating spaces for cultivating food. 


In this episode I speak with project partner and environmental engineer Lorena Portela about the history of favelas and their current state, how founder Elisângela Almeida Oliveira received the funds to get started at just 18 years old, how to get people in the community to see value in environmental care, innovative projects like turning cooking oil into all purpose soap, and more ways they are bringing nature and sustainability to an urban underserved community.


Resources:

Horta Inteligente Website

Horta Inteligente Instagram

Horta Inteligente Facebook

Horta Inteligente YouTube

25 Mar 2021[08] Mehr Als Wohnen: Housing Cooperative00:56:59

Mehr Als Wohnen is a holistic and democratic housing cooperative in Zurich, Switzerland. It is definitely not your typical housing co-op, they have created an innovative complex that is in harmony with the needs of the natural environment and its diverse residents. Members can meet all of their basic needs within the immediate vicinity. Parks, work spaces, retail spaces, care facilities, electric car-sharing, and community rooms all contribute to this vibrant mini city within the city. 

In this episode I speak with communications officer Roseli Ferreira about how the co-op was funded from a union of many other co-ops, the importance of consulting with the community throughout its development, their innovative design and facilities, inclusionary and affordable housing, social engagement within the co-op, and more inspiration to design housing that we all desire and deserve.

Mehr Als Wohnen Website (search Mehr Als Wohnen in Google for English translation)

Mehr Als Wohnen Facebook 

14 Apr 2021[10] Oxbow Design Build: Design and Construction Cooperative00:48:03

Oxbow Design Build is a recently converted worker-owned design and construction cooperative in East Hampton, Massachusetts. They practice holistic design and building while creating custom furniture, developing new structures, and renovating. Beyond their impeccable designs and attention to detail, they also pride themselves in supporting local businesses, ethical sourcing, and eco-friendly designs. 


In this episode I speak with member-owner and project manager Carl Woodruff about their transition to a worker cooperative, what it means to be a holistic design/build company, peer2peer networking, collaboration with other co-ops, some of their past/future projects, and how we can design to be in alignment with community and environmental needs.


Oxbow Design Build Website

Oxbow Design Build Facebook

Oxbow Design Build Instagram

11 Mar 2022[28] A.I.R: Artist-Run Cooperative Gallery01:03:24

Established in 1972, A.I.R is the first artist cooperative gallery for women in the United States. They maintain an exhibition space in Brooklyn, NY and showcase the work of hundreds of women artists each year. They also offer ways for members to build a support network and engage with the community through public open calls, fellowships, workshops, lectures on feminism, and discussion groups. Their multi-media exhibitions have explored themes of identity politics, historical archives, fractals, the symbiotic relationship between our body and environment, and so much more.

In this episode I speak with member Susan Stainman about how A.I.R has cultivated a space for women artists to be fully autonomous and given a platform in a male dominated industry. We speak about the history of female oppression in the United States, the lack of representation of women in the art world, benefits of membership like retaining majority of sales and camaraderie, how artist cooperatives can shift the centralization of wealth in the art industry that’s worth more than transportation and agriculture, and more wisdom.


A.I.R Website

A.I.R Instagram

A.I.R Facebook


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21 Oct 2021[22] East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative: Community Owned Real Estate01:05:07

East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative is based in the East Bay of California. They facilitate BIPOC and allied communities to cooperatively organize, finance, purchase, occupy, and steward properties, taking them permanently off the market. Residents, investors, community members, and EB PREC staff then co-own and co-steward the property. It creates a shift toward community controlled assets, and empowering their communities to be ecologically, emotionally, spiritually, culturally, and economically restorative and regenerative.

In this episode, I speak with executive director Noni Session about how EB PREC is garnering support to shift real estate ownership from extractive developers into the hands of the BIPOC community in Oakland and the East Bay. She shares the difference between a permanent real estate co-op and land trust, ancestral remembrance of cooperative ownership, how they got the first group of people to invest, their governance structure and multi-stakeholder model, prioritizing inclusivity and accessibility to individual investors, transparency of investment risks and how they mitigate it, and their exciting new venture - a historic Black arts svenue they’ve acquired for Black artists and small businesses at 50% of market rate. 


Document detailing their direct public offering: https://ebprec.org/offering

Esthers Orbit Room - mixed-use Black cultural venue: https://ebprec.org/esthers

Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperatives


20 May 2021[13] Green Mountain Spinnery x Flat Iron Cooperatives: Longstanding Natural Fiber Yarn Mill and New Coffee Shop00:51:32

Green Mountain Spinnery is a 40 year old cooperative based in rural Vermont. They mill high quality yarns made in the U.S., support regional sheep farming, and develop ways of producing natural fibers that are environmentally friendly. 


Flat Iron Co-op is a cooperatively owned coffee shop based in Vermont. They are still in the developmental stages but intend to create a model that integrates coffee, community driven events, and supports local food entrepreneurs within the space.


In this episode I speak with worker-owner Larisa Demos about the inspiration behind Green Mountain Spinnery and Flat Iron’s development. Initially this interview was just going to be about The Spinnery but I decided to ask Larisa to share a bit about a new co-op she is helping to develop. We speak about what’s needed for a co-op’s longevity, how to sustain the ethos as ownership changes, peer2peer networking for new co-ops, intention and plans once the Flat Iron is open, and more insight into the evolution of these two different models.


Resources:

The Spinnery Website

The Spinnery Facebook

The Spinnery Instagram

The Spinnery Virtual Mill Tour

Flat Iron Co-op Instagram


06 Oct 2021[21] St. Louis Mutual Aid: Meeting Basic Needs Through Community01:13:25

St. Louis Mutual Aid is based in St. Louis, MO. They are a network of organizers, healers, artists, community leaders, and every day people coming together to deliver food and supplies, provide financial solidarity, offer emotional support, and ultimately connect people to their neighbors.

In this episode I speak with members Marcus Hunt, Julia Ho, and Carmen Ward about how STL Mutual Aid has built a robust network of care in their community. In this episode we speak about how mutual aid can be used to introduce people to the solidarity economy, peer-2-peer learning between cooperatives and mutual aid initiatives, taking a holistic approach to fulfilling needs, resources of support offered including their no strings attached financial solidarity fund, how to make the distinction between mutual aid and charity, and more.


St. Louis Mutual Aid Website

St. Louis Mutual Aid Instagram

Solidarity Economy St. Louis 

10 Feb 2021[02] Soup: Local Crowdfunding Dinner01:07:57

Soup is a micro-granting dinner that offers a platform to support creative local projects in communities around the world. It eliminates barriers that local projects have to deal with in order to get funding, fosters dialogue on community needs, and allows a space for community change-makers to be heard.


In this episode, I speak with the founder of Detroit Soup Amy Kaherl about how Soup has evolved into a global movement, the economic paradigm in Detroit, the human needs that are nourished during these dinners, and some inspiring successful projects that were seeded from Soup.

01 Apr 2021[09] Altrapo Lab: Ethical Fashion Cooperative01:10:42

Altrapo Lab is a cooperative in Madrid, Spain dedicated to training and raising awareness about the impacts of the fashion industry and the promotion of consumer alternatives. They advocate for recycling, textile reuse, and transformative consumption from a creative approach through their courses, workshops and events around circular fashion. 


In this episode I speak with worker-owner Zaloa Basaldua about how Altrapo Lab is shifting the narrative from fashion consumption to reconstruction. Learn about how they are providing a platform to rethink and reconnect to the entire fashion supply chain, their store model for giving a new life to clothing, tips for upcycling and preserving clothing, how they are collaborating with other co-ops to divert clothing waste, and more resources to empower others to be environmentally and socially conscious clothing consumers.


Altrapo Lab Website

Altrapo Lab Facebook

Altrapo Lab Instagram

Recumadrid: Textile waste management in Madrid

Fashion Revolution: World's largest fashion activism movement

15 Jul 2021[17] Woodbine: Volunteer-run Community Resource Hub01:06:32

Woodbine is a DIY volunteer-run community resource hub located in Ridgewood Queens, NY. It’s all encompassing of solidarity, intended to cultivate the practices, skills, and tools needed to build autonomy. They host workshops, lectures, discussions and serve as a meeting and organizing space. They offer a multitude of ways to get community members' needs met like through their seed library, trades and services directory, english classes and much more! 

In this episode I speak with one of the co-founders Matt Peterson and volunteer Amoga Sahu about the creation and sustainability of this mutual aid hub. We speak about how they gathered the funds to get started and how they managed to not only sustain themselves but move into a bigger space during the pandemic. They’ve been around since 2014 and most DIY spaces don’t last in NYC so this is pretty major. You’ll learn about some of the free events, tools, and resources available to the community like their recently installed Mesh internet network. Matt shares an interesting perspective on decision making structures and accountability within a volunteer-run space which tends to be the one of most difficult aspects of running a collectively run space. At the end there’s some tips offered on how others can build an autonomous community centered space in the city.

06 May 2021[12] Uzupis: Sovereign Republic in Lithuania01:04:54

Uzupis is a sovereign republic located in the Lithuanian capital of Vilinus. Depicted much like a utopia, they have their own flag, army, currency, cabinet of ministers, constitution, and anthem. Created by artists as a joke on April Fool’s day, it has become home to free-thinkers seeking an alternative society. While it isn’t recognized by foreign governments as a micronation, it’s an inspiring symbol of revitalization and liberation in the community after the fall of the Soviet Union. 


In this episode I speak with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomas Chepaitis about the history of Uzupis, reactions they received from the Lithuanian government, their decision-making process, gentrification, how they support artists, and the unique University model they’ve created.


Uzupis Embassy

Uzupis University

Uzupis Republic Website



02 May 2024Solidarity Economy Shorts #4: Resourcing Black Solidarity Economies00:54:23

Solidarity Economy Shorts Episode #4

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. 

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 Notes

Black Solidarity Economy Fund

Maternal Health Equity Collaborative 

Symbodied

Episode Music by MADlines

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