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Welcome to the New Economy Roundup! In each installment you will be getting a breakdown of stories and news from NEC's 163 member groups and many more visionary leaders worldwide. The movement for economic democracy is gaining momentum globally and this newsletter hopes to cover it. Sign up for our email list here.
Stories From the Field
#BankingOnJustice: In the poorest region of Mississippi, community banks are helping revitalize the Delta. This piece from YES! Magazine looks at the role of CDFI's in places where bankers and residents have come to see one another as allies in the fight against poverty.
People’s Ride: People’s Ride in Grand Rapids, Michigan offers a glimpse of what a worker-owned Uber might look like. In this profile from the Democracy at Work, the founders talk about some of the struggles and benefits of applying the cooperative model to ridesharing.
Community Broadband: When everything from doing your homework to expanding your business requires turning to the World Wide Web, the internet — and access to it — becomes an issue of opportunity and equity. This is the story of a group of rural Montanans who organized across four counties to build a community-owned broadband cooperative and bring the internet to dozens of municipalities.
Solidarity Economies Abroad
A Global Co-op Network: No Chains, an international network of worker-led and sweat-free cooperatives, offers an alternative to the modern-day garment industry. This first installment of a series takes a close look at two of No Chains’ member cooperatives and their paths through labor struggles to stability and self-governance.
Open-Source Education: La Scuola Open Source in Italy is built on the principles of the sharing economy, allowing students to work together and share skills through project learning.
“We’ve lent $20 million in Indian Country. No defaults, no debt. When you give the power to the people, they make it work.”
— Chrystel Cornelius at CommonBound 2016
Watch the full panel on Achieving Sovereignty for our Communities
Resource: #M4BL Policy Agenda
After a year long process of convening local and national groups, the Movement for Black Lives has developed a new policy agenda with demands for black power, freedom, and justice. More than just a call for convictions and ending police violence, the platform outlines steps for liberation that range from education, to economic justice, and community control over institutions. Read more here »
Video: Pluralist Commonwealth
Historian, political economist, and NEC board member Gar Alperovitz offers an animated view of what a next system grounded in democratized ownership of the economy and real sustainability would look like. Watch here »
Featured Member: MACED
The Mountain Association of Community Economic Development recently received a $2 million grant to support entrepreneurs and new businesses in Kentucky. "We need to create a new post-coal economy in eastern Kentucky that is more diverse, sustainable and equitable," said MACED President Peter Hille in a press release. Congratulations MACED! Read more here »
Movement News
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe is calling for an end to the Dakota Access Pipeline:
- As Court Hears Arguments in Dakota Pipeline Suit, Protesters Say 'Protect Our Water'
- A Tale of Two Standoffs
- The Political Significance of Being Inconvenienced
US Election 2016:
- Will Bernie Sander’s Political Movement Have Life Beyond the DNC?
- We Still Need a Future to Believe In
Labor Day:
Upcoming Events
Global Social Economy Forum 2016
This week, the Montreal edition of the Global Social Economy Forum brings together international actors to discuss collaboration between local governments and the Social Solidarity Economy for the development of cities. September 7- 9 2016
Fund and Fuel Your Dreams
Join an amazing group of women entrepreneurs in Oakland, California to learn the tools and strategies for raising capital on your own terms. September 8-9 2016
Homegrown Prosperity Conference
The Northern Plains’ Homegrown Prosperity Conference taking place in September explores how to build an economy that brings prosperity to all Montanans. September 10, 2016
Collective Courage: Standing Up, Fighting Back, and Building Self-Determined Beautiful Solutions
Join the Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market, Tennessee to dig deep into what the road ahead holds in building a solidarity economy, new leadership, politics, roles, and relationships. September 16-18 2016
View all NEC member events on our website »
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