News & Resources

Defend Rojava, Worker-Owned Cannabis, and Mobile Home Tenant Organizing

Dec 13, 2024 | New Economy Roundup

This month we’re talking about how the Energy Permitting Reform Act will walk back climate action in the U.S., the affordable housing scandal displacing a mobile home community in Miami, a call for solidarity from the Kurdish Liberation Movement in Syria, and solidarity economy at the World Social Forum in Cali, Columbia. Read to the end for our resource list of the month, nonprofit jobs, and virtual and in-person events.

PS: If you love reading these stories of solidarity economy movements around the world, make a gift today to help NEC meet this moment and keep the Roundup going strong. Give $50+ or become a monthly donor by Dec 31st and get a free copy of Beautiful Solutions — we have about 10 copies left! 


Defend Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park: Outside Miami, over 900 mobile home residents are facing eviction as part of a plan by corporate landlords to build a new “affordable and workforce housing complex.” Because most residents own their units but not the land they sit on, mobile home parks have become a site for predatory redevelopment across the country. Li’l Abner residents swiftly organized a tenant association and are urging all community members to reject the displacement offers and contribute to a collective bargaining strategy, even as they face police crackdowns. You can support the Li’l Abner community by donating to this GoFundMe and staying up to date on their latest news on Instagram. Learn how mobile home cooperatives and resident-owned communities can be part of an anti-displacement strategy for communities like Li’l Abner. 

Say ‘No’ to ERPA: The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 (EPRA) is a rebranded version of the repeatedly defeated “Dirty Deal” legislation. This bill is a backward step on environmental justice, and if enacted could put communities at greater risk of harmful pollution and health hazards. Under the guise of accelerating clean energy projects, EPRA prioritizes corporate profits over the health and safety of vulnerable communities. You can take action by using this preloaded form to tell your congress person to oppose the EPRA, or send a message of your own. If your org would like to make a public statement about this bill, Climate Justice Alliance also has a request for comments and a narrative toolkit to help spread the word. See our statement here.

Worker-Owned Cannabis Co-op: Nationally, the legalized cannabis industry brings in over $40B annually, while Black and Latinx men continue to be disproportionately incarcerated and subjected to unpaid labor for marijuana-related crimes. In Rhode Island, Co-op Rhody and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 328 are working with formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted individuals to build worker-owned cannabis businesses that support those impacted by the War on Drugs. Using the cooperative model, workers are able to own a share of the business and receive technical assistance training to keep it running. The worker-owner structure cuts through discriminatory barriers formerly incarcerated individuals face when accessing employment, as they’re able to set their own criteria. Learn more about the cooperative cannabis landscape in Rhode Island and across the US in this panel from NEC member the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. 

 

 

 

Mobilize, Resist, Struggle for Rojava: Syrians around the world are celebrating the fall of the brutal Bashar al Assad regime, while questioning what the transition of power will mean for the struggle for a free and democratic Syria. Already, Israel has begun massive bombardment campaigns across the country and Turkish forces are attacking the autonomous regions in the Northeast. Kurds across Rojava and Northeastern Syria call upon “every socialist, feminist, anti-fascist and democrat” to take a stance against these attacks. Check out this toolkit from Defend Rojava and send a message to your Congress member to stop these attacks and support a democratic Syria. Join the Emergency Committee for Rojava and NEC member Movement Generation on December 17th to learn more about the Rojava revolution.

Rio Cataniapo Commune: When the Venezuelan state constructed a legal path for communal living, the Huo̧ttö̧ja̧, Kurripako, Baré, Jivi, and Yeral nations came together to build the Rio Cataniapo Commune. Enrique Martinez, a leader at one of the 15 community councils, says, “…we don’t see communal forms of organization as something that comes from the outside. It’s not a sabarí [non-Indigenous] idea; it is the basis for the organization of many Indigenous peoples.” Collective living has been able to restore and transform long-held traditions like community education and craft-making. Still, communal economics are struggling to provide against the U.S. blockade. Hear how comunerxs are transforming Rio Cataniapo to adapt to these conditions, while mitigating climate change and restoring long held storytelling traditions.

World Social Forum in Cali: This November, the second ever World Social Forum on Transformative Economies took place in Cali, Colombia. Participants from all over the Americas, Africa, and Asia gathered to build translocal connections and share how they are working in community to “forge economies for life.” NEC member the Participatory Budgeting Project was able to participate and shared how participatory budgeting (PB) has flourished in the US and around the globe since the first seeds for PB were planted at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre in 2005. Read their full reflections from the gathering. 

 

 

RIP Nikki Giovanni
Watch her 2013 Interview on Poetry, Grief and Her Book, “Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid”

 

 

 

 

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Associate Director, Equity Trust
Black Community Wealth Accelerator Leadership Council, Start.coop
2025 Program Manager, Start.coop
Operations Manager, Richmond LAND
Policy Associate, HEAL Food Alliance
Program Coordinator, CoFED
Real Estate & Finance Analyst, East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative
Real Estate Manager, Richmond LAND
Various Positions, Black Alliance for Just Immigration
Various Positions, Highlander Center
Various Positions, Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB)

If you’re hiring, consider submitting to The Roundup.
For more opportunities, check out this job board from NEC member Post Growth Institute and this one from the U.S. Federation of Worker Co-ops!

 

 

 

An Educational on the True Cost of Prison Labor
Join Shut EM Down PDX as we answer jailhouse Lawyers Speaks’ call to action and find out why the prison system must be destroyed. Masks are required and will be provided. (Portland, OR – Dec 13)

2025 ONLINE Anne Braden Anti-Racist Organizer Training Program
Catalyst Project will be holding the 2025 Anne Braden Anti-Racist Organizer Training Program for white social justice organizers and activists ONLINE starting February 8th and running through July 27th.  The Anne Braden Program develops white anti-racist leaders as part of an overall multiracial movement-building strategy. The program consists of weekly training sessions, one on one mentorship, grassroots fundraising training, engaging and challenging homework and readings, exciting guest speakers, transformational facilitation, and inspiring kick ass organizers from all over the country. (Virtual – Applications due December 15)

Study Group: Climate Justice & Revolution
Join the Emergency Committee for Rojava and Movement Generation for the next session in their study group series on radical ecology. They’ll be discussing the relationships between climate change, ‘just transition’, and social revolution. (Virtual – Dec 17)

The Strike: Building Workers’ Power Today
The UMass Amherst Labor Center is bringing leaders from around the US and the world to explore the power of strikes and collective action. In the last few years there has been a wave of strikes and work stoppages encompassing a diverse array of sectors, including automotive, healthcare, hospitality, and education. Workers are taking risks by organizing illegal strikes and industry-wide strikes, and unions large and small are aligning contracts to work towards the capacity for future general strikes. With an estimated half-million workers participating in strikes in 2023, this resurgence has nearly doubled the figures from the previous year, underscoring a significant shift in the labor movement’s approach to negotiations and collective bargaining. The aim of this international conference is to explore the dynamics and potential of strikes and other forms of collective action in the 2020s and beyond. (Submit an application by Dec 25)

Start.Coop Cooperative Business Incubator for Rural Entrepreneurs
In this online, 8-week facilitated incubator program, we use a Lean Co-op methodology that helps you build both your business and ownership models. We are open to all kinds of rural projects, including but not limited to those interested in starting child care cooperatives, home care cooperatives, housing cooperatives and food-related cooperatives. (Applications Open Jan 15) 

Level I: Facilitative Leadership Skills Training
Join the Roundsky cohort Increase your facilitative leadership capacity in this training by tapping into tools, skills, confidence to facilitate in the midst of uncertainty, and gaining effective and collaborative decision-making processes. (Applications Due Feb 2) 

Next Economy MBA
The Next Economy MBA is a nine-month course created by LIFT Economy to equip social impact leaders with the tools they need to help create an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative economy. In addition to bi-weekly facilitated course sessions, office hours to dive into deeper learning, and practical resources from the LIFT team, participants in the Next Economy MBA program will join a 500+ strong alumni network. (Virtual – Begins March 2025) 

Socialism Conference 2025
The Socialism conference is a center of political education rooted in ideas, perspectives, and strategic debate. Our purpose is to provide a forum for addressing not just the “how,” but especially the “what” and “why” of left politics and social movements. A four-day conference featuring dozens of panels, lectures, and workshops organized by groups from all over the country. Save the Date for Socialism 2025! (July 3-6 2025 – Chicago, IL)

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