This month we’re talking about Black cooperative land ownership through the legacy of Alabama’s Freedom Quilting Bee, rising union and worker co-op organizing in response to layoffs and workplace instability, and artist-led campaigns divesting from war industries, alongside urgent calls from Congo and Bolivia, and more
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STORIES FROM THE FIELD
“The Freedom Quilting Bee, a Black-owned textile cooperative, was born in the civil rights movement as a way for poor black craftswomen in the Alabama Black Belt to earn money for their families. Credit: Birmingham, Ala. Public Library Archives”
Black Cooperators & Land Sovereignty. We recently came across this piece on Alabama’s Freedom Quilting Bee highlighting the powerful legacy of radical Black cooperators and the lessons & histories that continue to lay the groundwork for solidarity economies today. “The most radical thing that Alabama’s famous Freedom Quilting Bee did was not the quilts they sold, but what they did with the money: in 1968, they bought 23 acres of land in Alberta, Alabama, and formed a Black land cooperative.” Their story is a reminder that cooperative economics has long been tied to land sovereignty and survival in the face of racial capitalism. Check out our Black Co-op History Resource List for quick reads and deep dives into this radical legacy, and read more about the history of Black cooperatives.
Union & Co-op Solidarity on the Rise! In the face of layoffs, closures, and growing work insecurity, new waves of organizing are asking what would it look like if workers owned and controlled the workplaces they depend on? From campaigns aimed at community buyouts of the recently-shuttered Spirit Airlines & Hampshire College, to the recent surge of unionized worker cooperatives, more people are exploring how to “co-op everything.” As NEC’s Julian Rose puts it, “unions, cooperatives, and gig worker organizing have all gained popularity as they represent sites of great influence in the lives of most folks living in the U.S.”
To learn more:
- Check out NEC’s resource library to learn more about cooperative ownership;
- Explore what are worker-owned alternatives;
- Watch this webinar to learn how to build a cooperative labour movement & access this toolkit to learn how to strengthen collaboration between unions and cooperatives.
Artists Divesting from the War Industry. Artists are organizing to cut ties with weapons manufacturers, corporate sponsors, extractive platforms that support genocide & wars, and build alternatives rooted in collective ownership. At SXSW, sustained pressure from musicians and organizers like United Musicians and Allied Workers contributed to the festival cutting ties with the U.S. Army and weapons companies. But the work goes further than boycotts. Artists are challenging corporate control of the music industry while building new infrastructures for cultural production. Explore How Artists Are Reclaiming the Economy, take action, check out Subvert, a collectively owned music marketplace building alternatives for artists & follow @artworldswewant.
STORIES FROM ABROAD
Bolivian trade unionists on the streets of La Paz on May 23, 2026 as part of the general strike. Photo: COB via People’s Dispatch.
Bolivia Libre, Popular y Soberana! Bolivia is facing a deepening political and economic crisis marked by fuel shortages, rising prices, and worsening social conditions. The political climate, alongside protests against Rodrigo Paz’s neoliberal government, is intensifying uncertainty across the country. Bolivian movements are in the streets demanding urgent and meaningful responses to deteriorating living conditions, as well as the resignation of the president. In the face of ongoing instability, communities across Bolivia continue organizing around dignity and sovereignty. Nuestra solidaridad con el pueblo boliviano que lucha y sale a la calle.
#FreeCongo! Amid devastating war, displacement, and one of the world’s largest Ebola outbreaks, the Congolese political class is pushing constitutional changes that will perpetuate corruption and exploitation. Learn more about the current context, and the long history of imperialism and struggle for self-determination. Share this statement from the Congolese Solidarity Campaign calling on progressive movements and humanitarian organizations to ensure the dignity and safety of all refugees and migrants affected by the violence. In Eastern DRC, women-led organizing continues to offer powerful visions for peace and collective survival: “We are here to mobilize and use non-violent ways, use the arts, as a weapon of peace.”
Decolonizing Palestine: This May marked the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, the catastrophe that resulted in the ethnic cleansing of nearly 750,000 Palestinians in 1948, a process of dispossession and colonial violence that continues today. From boycott and divestment campaigns to popular education and direct solidarity, there are many ways to take action against genocide. Just this week, thousands of members of Brooklyn’s famous Park Slope Coop successfully voted to boycott Israeli products. Join Power Half-Hour for Gaza to take collective action to demand an arms embargo on Israel, an immediate end to the genocide and to stop starving Gaza. Explore NEC’s resource list to learn more about Palestinian resistance, solidarity economy organizing, and ways to support Palestinian cooperatives, including Ard El Ya’s – The Land of Despair Sprouts with Hope, Um Sleiman Farm, Al-Khat Al-Gharbi Co-op, Al Fallah, Palestinian Soap Cooperative, Palestinian Social Fund.
MOVEMENT NEWS
Central Virginia nonprofit granted 60 acres in Henrico where BIPOC farmers can live and work
How do we build youth participation in co-operatives?
In Maryland, organizing against dirty data centers is an act of community power
On Organized Labor’s AntiBlack Mythology
Co-ops rally for workers this May Day
A closer look at low-wage workers across the country
How Indigenous organizers defeated a mining company at Pe’ Sla
Defending the social and solidarity economy in an uncertain world
Collaboration and mutual care’: How Mozambican women are building livelihoods through recycling
With Rights to Bodily Autonomy Under Attack, Groundswell Fund Shifts Its Strategy
Workers have a secret weapon against the AI build-out
Trump Is Plunging Cuba Into a Humanitarian Crisis
The Farce of “Economic Freedom” in Puerto Rico
In Brazil, organized favelas turn to CLTS to protect their land
FEATURE
The 2026 Creative Wildfire Propagation Fund brought together 20 artists from New Orleans to Brooklyn to support creative projects rooted in collective power, care, and resistance. Vy Vu’s two-part poster highlights communities reclaiming power and resisting the growing harms of AI data centers, centering the strength of collective action and care. Check out the full artwork and learn more about the Propagation Fund on our website, and explore more of Vy Vu’s work on their page!
RESOURCE LIBRARY
TOOLKITS & READINGS
Remember the Future Podcast: Why We Moved $90k to Arts Collectives & Cooperatives
Solidarity Resource: Anti-Racist Co-op Development Facilitation Guide
Grow a Library of Things in your community: Library of Things Toolkit
The Big Feelings Club. For the Days that Feel Like Thunderstorms
Muslim for Just Futures: Movement Memo | Understanding the 2026 U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy
PODCASTS
How to Survive the End of the World? If hope is a muscle, then how do I build it?
Money Trauma: A six part podcast mini-series that challenges the idea that money behaviours are a purely rational topic.
Shelterforce Podcast: What is the Solidarity Economy
Next City: The Tenant Movement Takes on Corporate Landlords
WEBINARS & VIDEOS
A Conversation with Gabor Maté: Trauma and Loneliness at the End of Empire
Boston Ujima: Energy, Tech, Finance w/Tristan Thomas
Grassroots Economic Organizing: Effective Governance & Building a Cooperative Labour Movement: Strength and Struggle in Unionized Cooperatives
Community Ownership Learning & Action Lab: Testing the Case for FInancial Aggregation in Community Ownership
JOBS
Executive Director, Cooperative Development Institute.
Executive Director, Equity Trust
Youth Organizer Leaders, Alternatives for Community & Environment
Executive Director, Northwest Cooperative Development Center
Senior Coop Culture & Business Developer, Beloved Community Incubator
Multiple positions, Abolitionist Law Center
Senior Manager of Culture & People, Black Feminist Futures
Executive Director, California Center for Cooperative Development
Principal, Afterglow Climate Justice Fund, Candide Group
Program Officer of Research to Impact Lab, Center for Cultural Innovation
Multiple positions, City Life/Vida Urbana
Capital Campaign Director, Critical Resistance
Multiple positions, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
If you’re hiring, consider submitting to The Roundup. For more opportunities, check out this job board from NEC member Post Growth Institute, the lqb2 movement jobs board, and this one from the U.S. Federation of Worker Co-ops!
EVENTS
NEXT ECONOMY MBA LIFT ECONOMY
For those interested in developing skills and knowledge and becoming part of a learning community intent on transforming the economy for all. The Next Economy MBA is a nine-month online program for leaders who want practical business tools, strategic clarity, and a supportive peer network for building a more just and regenerative economy. Since 2018, more than 800 alumni across 16 cohorts have joined the program, including entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, consultants, funders, nonprofit leaders, B Corp practitioners, and people navigating career transitions. Join a free intro session with the LIFT Economy team to learn more about the Next Economy MBA and explore whether the upcoming cohort is a fit for you. (Fall 2026 cohort begins September 22nd — 20% Off Earlybird Registration Open Now Until August 3rd)
Alchemy Of inner Voice Free Qi-gong SeriesA six-month live virtual series designed for artists, organizers, and world builders who are ready to bring their inner and outer voice into coherence so they can identify and act according to the impact they desire to have in the world. During each monthly session Mothh guides Qigong practice, meditation, and creative writing to bring the body, breath, and voice into coherence and strengthen relationship to intuition aka inner voice. We work with qigong to support the body’s natural intelligence to clear, restore, energize, and clarify your desired impact in your community. For Artists, Organizers, and Movement workers! This event is co-sponsored by NEC, Art.coop, USDAC, and Economics.Arts.Transformation! (Starts July 6, Virtual)
Power Half-Hour for Gaza: Channel grief & outrage into action to stop a genocide
After two years, the genocide in Gaza continues, we are overwhelmed with sorrow and outrage yet we are steadfast in our commitment to Palestinian liberation. Join Jewish Voices for Peace as we take collective action to demand an arms embargo on Israel, an immediate end to the genocide and to stop starving Gaza. We add to our actions the demand to Melt ICE and stop the kidnapping of immigrants and protestors. (Starts May 28, Aug 10, Aug 11, Aug 12).
Public Banking and the Just Solutions Affordability Framework
Join us for the Public Banking and the Just Solutions Affordability Framework Webinar, exploring public and green banking as a funding strategy for energy affordability. Speakers will cover recent developments in California and New York — including challenges and opportunities regarding the stalled $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. (June 3, Virtual)
Land and Liberation: Indigenous Sovereignty, Social Ecology, and Returning to Right Relationship Summer Intensive
This year’s social ecology summer intensive course is being hosted in partnership with Native Roots Network and the Peoples’ Network for Land and Liberation. We will gather at Native Roots Network’s Traditional Ecological Knowledge land lab Wenem To•s in Shasta County, just outside Redding, California. This is an in-person, in-depth gathering in which participants dive headfirst into the ideas and practices of social ecology: grassroots organizing, ecological philosophy, direct democracy, and revolutionary social transformation. (June 5 to 11, in-person)
Funder Briefing: Love, Land, & Liberation with Community Movement Builders
Community Movement Builders (CMB) recently purchased a 13-acre farm 20 minutes outside of Atlanta. That farm has already allowed CMB to hold movement retreats and strategy meetings, to increase their food sovereignty projects via CMB’s survival/mutual aid program where CMB distributes groceries and fresh produce to the community, and has housed the creation of a fab lab and off-the-grid project. This session is for grantmakers, donors, and funder affinity groups. Spend an hour with us to learn about how this will impact our ability as an organization with 12 chapters to continue its mission of organizing and base building for radical change in the Black community and across the country. (June 11, 2026 @ 10am PT | 11am MT | 12pm CT | 1pm ET).
2026 Solidarity Resource Training Cohort
A cohort-based program designed to support organizers, co-op developers, and grassroots movement builders in strengthening their ability to grow the solidarity economy and build worker and community power. Through a combination of virtual sessions, an in-person retreat, and tailored coaching, the program engages up to 20 participants across multiple organizations in developing practical skills such as democratic governance, consent-based decision-making, distributed power, generative conflict, and financial sustainability. Grounded in anti-oppression, anti-capitalist values and a commitment to collective liberation. complete the application by June 12th.
We Create The World
We Create The World is an arts festival conceived by The Boston Ujima Project, Inc. Each year, we welcome thousands of visitors to celebrate Juneteenth with Black joy, expression and art. This year’s program is presented with the Museum of African American History and the Institute Of Contemporary Art/Boston. (June 19 – Boston, MA)
Website Security for Social Justice Groups
Cyberattacks against social justice and humanitarian groups are rising fast — up 241% in the past year. Far-right and other hostile actors are increasingly targeting campaign websites with DDoS attacks, defacement, and data leaks — often timed to disrupt our most critical work. The good news? Most attacks succeed because of preventable gaps: weak passwords, outdated plugins, or vulnerable integrations & third-party tools. You don’t need a big budget or a full-time tech team to defend your site. You just need the right knowledge and tools. (June 23 & 24 – Virtual)
Center for Popular Economics is hosting the 2026 Summer Institute.
The Center for Popular Economics’ summer institute is designed to address the movement’s economics knowledge gaps and counter the conservative myths at the heart of mainstream economics. It provides intensive training in the economics and economic history knowledge needed to advance visions and strategies for change. A four-day in-person activist training workshop. (June 24th to June 28th, Amherst, MA)
Building a Disability Politic & Access-Centered Cultures Public Workshop Series, People’s Hub.
A 2-part workshop series for people who are interested in applying a disability justice framework to their current movement work. The first part of the series links the ways disability is connected to the systems of oppression that you are already addressing in your work, aiming to deepen its understanding of disability in relation to capitalism, imperialism, and other dominant systems. The second focuses on the distinctions between disability rights and disability justice as it relates to accessibility and access. Sign up for the series by completing this registration form. (July 13th and 20th from 3-5pm ET).
Boggs Freedom School
The James and Grace Lee Boggs Foundation is working with a consortium of Detroit-based organizations, including the Eastside Community Network, Rising Voices, and Talking Dolls Studio, to launch a {r}evolutionary student and youth leadership institute for 2026. All participants will join a two-week intensive training program coordinated by scholars and activists who worked directly with the Boggses. Based in Detroit, it will combine study sessions, community dialogues, tours, and practical experience in the field. Apply now! (July 5-18 and is designed for ages 18-25, in-person)
Facilitating Cooperation: Tools and Community for Shared-Power Teams
Join our 11-session online training and cohort community designed to strengthen your facilitative leadership capacity in times of uncertainty. Together, we’ll build the tools, skills, and confidence needed to lead collaboratively and effectively, from navigating shared decision-making processes and clarifying who makes which decisions, to strengthening alignment, accountability, and sustainable project management practices that reduce burnout. (Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 12-1 PM ET, Virtual)
Convergence for Just Futures 2.0 – The Next 25: Futures Free of State Terror
Join Muslims for Just Futures at the historic Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) for an electrifying three-day convergence designed to ignite transformative change, fortify our communities from existing and escalated threats, and build just futures free of state terror. (In-person, September 23-25).
International Cooperative Alliance Committee on Cooperative Research in Europe
This annual academic event brings together researchers, educators, professionals, and policymakers from across Europe and beyond to explore current trends, issues, and prospects within the cooperative sector. It offers a platform for dialogue between cooperative scholarship and practice, fostering exchange, collaboration, and dissemination of cutting-edge research on cooperatives. (Nov 3-6 – Valencia, Spain)