Cooperatives and People of Color 

Co-ops have the potential to create jobs, empower individuals and strengthen communities.  This business model can provide a path toward more self-sufficiency and greater economic potential.  The conference will highlight the impact that African Americans, Hispanics, and Latinos have had on the cooperative movement in this country and showcase their successes in the cooperative movement. 

Jessica Gordon Nembhard’s book, Collective Courage, illustrates that African Americans have a long and strong history of cooperative ownership, especially in reaction to market failures and economic racial discrimination. It is mostly a hidden history and complicated by economic marginalization, and thwarted by racial discrimination and white supremacist violence. Against adversity, the African American community has created a legacy of cooperation that still exists. The earliest efforts built communal ways of supporting each other, and built the foundation for formal businesses. These efforts enriched many during the ebb and flow of US co-op history throughout which African Americans have been contributors.

Join us on October 20 as Jessica shares details about her book and the enormous contributions made by African Americans in the cooperative movement.  Cooperators from Louisiana, to Michigan to North Carolina to Georgia will also share the impact that cooperatives have had on their lives and the communities in which they live.

Check out the agenda for a review of our exciting list of speakers.

Don't miss this opportunity to join us on October 20.