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Stories From the Field
“It’s Eco-Socialism or Death”: It can’t be impossible to look at our ecosystem’s natural boundaries and decide to live within them. Kali Akuno of NEC member organization, Cooperation Jackson weighs in on the Green New Deal, the need for mass civil disobedience, and the necessity of building an internationalist movement for eco-socialism. Read his call to action now
Without Amazon, New York Can Now Do Economic Development Right: Now that activists in New York City successfully chased Amazon and its “HQ2” plan out of New York City, there is a new challenge: Can the organizers and elected leaders who successfully blocked the kind of economic development they opposed bring about the kind of economic development they want? Isaiah J. Poole of NEC member organization The Democracy Collaborative has more
Calling All Progressive Economists: Progressive economists are in demand as Democratic 2020 hopefuls look for bold ideas – baby bonds, worker representation on boards, free childcare from birth – are just some examples. Read on here
Solidarity Economies Abroad 
2019 International Day of Cooperatives Theme Unveiled: Cooperative employment is far from a marginal phenomenon. Cooperatives around the world employ or are the main source of income for more than 279 million people—almost 10% of humanity’s total working population. On July 6th, hosted by the United Nations, national and global policymakers, civil-society organizations and the public will rally around the theme of Coops 4 Decent Work. Read the International Co-operative Alliance’s Announcement.
Beyond The Nation State – A Critical Look At Venezuela’s Current Crisis: Brooke Anderson interviewed her colleague Mateo Nube of NEC member organization, Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project, for more political and economic context to the current crisis. Nube unpacks the history and promise of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela and beyond; the roots and early warning signs of the authoritarianism we’re now seeing play out; the lost opportunity for Venezuela to leverage its oil money wealth toward a just transition away from extractivism and toward a regenerative economy; and the dangers of U.S. intervention in the conflict. Read the interview here.
Questioning the Greatness of the Data: According to data heralded by Bill Gates, 85 out of 100 people may be able to read now, but how many in their mother tongue? In 1820, 94 out of 100 people were living in extreme poverty – was that because their community’s assets were seized by colonizers? Jason Hickel presents another angle on the “advancements” that the data claim.
Plant The Seed Music Video Doc
Taina Asili, a Puerto Rican activist, singer, songwriter and bandleader, released Plant the Seed, a new music video documentary and single that tells the story of black farmer and educator Leah Penniman and her journey to become the co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, a national leader in the food justice movement. Watch the new video here.
2019 Community Power Scorecard
Each year, the Energy Democracy Initiative at NEC member organization, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance tracks and scores states based on their energy policies and how these policies help or hinder local clean energy action. In the 2019 Community Power Scorecard, four states excelled, 11 states and the District of Columbia saw above average scores, 15 were mediocre, and 20 states received failing grades at enabling individuals and communities to take charge of their energy futures. Go deeper into this year’s report here.
Movement New
- Chicago Turns to Cooperatives to Improve Opportunity
- Lake Erie Just Won the Same Legal Rights as People
- Sorry, Y’all, but Climate Change Ain’t the First Existential Threat
- Oregon to Become FirstState to Impose Statewide Rent Control
- Scaling Social Justice: A Latinx Immigrant Worker Co-op Franchise Model
- The Green New Deal Could Dramatically Expand Economic Democracy
- The 4 Ideas That Could Define Housing Policy in 2019 (HuffPost)
- How to Cut U.S. Emissions Faster? Do What These Countries Are Doing.
- ‘I Wanted To Do More For People Than Just Pray’: Pastor Blends Faith, Farms To End Food Insecurity In Black Churches
- After Superstorm Sandy’s Rain, Cooperatives Sprang Up Like Mushrooms
- Kaua’i Island Electric Cooperative is making strides in meeting its renewable energy goals
- A Letter to Steven Pinker (and Bill Gates for that matter) about Global Poverty
- Keeping Affordability in Focus As Columbus Revitalization Picks Up Steam
- San Jose, CA to Bridge Digital Divide With New Inclusion Fund
- Participatory Budgeting Toolkit
- 'We're All Passengers in a Billionaire Hijacking' Says the Critic Who Has the World's Richest People Buzzing
- Berry Farmers Break Free From Big Agriculture
- Comprehensive Study by Cornell University Strongly Supports Public Banking Model to Finance Needed Infrastructure
- Antidotes to Brutal Capitalism? Some Hidden in Plain Sight
- This Grantmaker Wants to Break White Men’s Stranglehold on Philanthropic Donations
- Stewarding Housing Affordability through Land Trusts: An Ohio Example
- Why Unions Must Bargain for Affordable Housing—and How
- 5 Indigenous Women Asserting the Modern Matriarchy
NEC on The Gram
Follow NEC on Instagram – @NewEconomyCoalition – where we’re sharing about the Knight Media Forum in Miami, where NEC was on the ground this week. “For good and for bad, the old model of journalism is done for. Along with our democracy, it’s on life support. Any new economy worth fighting for needs a new media economy at its heart. We can tweak what we have, but tweaks won’t fix the problem. Public interest journalism needs a new system, a new life.” NEC member organization The Laura Flanders Show told The Next System Project last year in, “Next Systems Media: An Urgent Necessity.”
Manager – External Relations, Canadian Worker Co-op Federation
Director – Member Engagement, Canadian Worker Co-op Federation
"The Future of Work is Now” Cohort, Transform Finance
Program Director – Harmony Initiative, Justice Funders
Various Positions, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Program Director, Coro New York Leadership Center
Various Positions, Allied Media Project
Echoing Ida Training, Forward Together
Various Positions, Participatory Budgeting Project
Director of Community Engagement, NASCO
Various Positions, Energy Justice Network
Executive Director, Cooperative Fund of New England
Storytelling Director, Mijente
Colorlines Audience Engagement Manager, Race Forward
Digital Coordinator, Resource Generation
Loan Administrator, Shared Capital Cooperative
Communications & Cooperative Developer, Center for Family Life
Northwest/Central Vermont Housing Coop Specialist, Cooperative Development Institute
Communications Director, New Florida Majority
Executive Director, Power Shift Network
Program Director, Coro New York Leadership Center
Cultural Organizer, Highlander Center
Various Positions, People’s Food Co-op
Member Services Manager, Riverton Community Housing
Co-Coordinator, Liberation School South
Policy Director, Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont
Program Administrator, People’s Hub
Development Director, Rethink
Upcoming Events
Divest/Reinvest Boston: Boston City Council Hearing
Join NEC Members Center for Economic Democracy, Boston Ujima Project, 350.org, their partners, Boston residents and community organizers at the Boston City Council hearing on 'Pension fund disclosure, socially responsible investment, and reinvestment,' as they lead the way for Boston city officials to DIVEST from Systems of Harm and Injustice and REINVEST into Our Communities and Our Futures. (Today 2PM ET – Boston, MA)
Worker Cooperative Startup Webinar
The US Federation of Worker Cooperatives hosts this monthly webinar to for groups and people at the very early stages of their worker cooperative project. The webinar describes key steps toward getting off the ground, and where problems often occur. It includes chapters on building your group's democratic capacity, business, and environment of support, in a participatory conversational format. Attendees are offered 30 minutes of free consulting after the webinar from the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. (March 1 – Webinar)
Magic City Youth Assembly
Rooted in the legacy of countless People’s Movement Assemblies across the nation, the Magic City Youth Assembly participants (ages ~17-30) will connect, discuss the challenges facing our communities, and brainstorm solutions for a more equitable future through activities, small group discussions and an organizing process that encourages various forms of participation. (March 1 – Birmingham, AL)
How Will We Build an Equitable Economy in New York?
Join us for an evening of conversation with Boston Impact Initiative Fund Co-Founder Deborah Frieze and New York City community organizers from CAAAV and the New Economy Project. They’ll share some real talk about projects that can reduce the racial wealth gap, even amidst political realities in Albany and City Hall. And you can bring your questions about what building an equitable economy looks like. (March 4 – New York, NY)
Getting on Common Ground – Conflict Resolution for Cooperative Leaders
Esteban Kelly is the Executive Director of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC) and a worker-owner at AORTA Co-op (Anti Oppression Resource & Training Alliance). He will lead an interactive (and fun!) workshop on how to resolve tensions and work through difficult disagreements. After discussing the reasons why many disputes arise, he will guide participants through the steps that they can take to successfully resolve conflicts in their own cooperatives while fully acknowledging power dynamics. (March 9 – New York, NY
Grassroots Fund Just Transition Webinar: Guiding Values
Join Grassroots Fund staff and guest speakers (soon to be announced) to talk about what Just Transition means and how it is showing up in projects across the Northeast. This interactive webinar will both give an overview of key concepts and insights into how community organizers are applying ideas in their neighborhoods and communities. (March 13 – Webinar)
Our Homes, Our Future: How Rent Control Can Build Stable, Healthy Communities
Amid the worst renter crisis in a generation, it is time for policymakers to respond to the call for rent control to protect renters from skyrocketing rents and displacement. Join PolicyLink, Right to the City Alliance, and Center for Popular Democracy to learn more about a new report, “Our Homes, Our Future: How Rent Control Can Build Stable, Healthy Communities”, which sheds light on the unprecedented scale of the crisis facing renters and the potential to stabilize 12.7 million renter households nationwide through existing organizing campaigns for rent control. Report co-author Sarah Treuhaft will highlight key findings from the report, and speakers from Oregon and New York will discuss their local campaigns and the growing movement led by renters to push for stronger tenant protection laws. (March 13 – Webinar)
Another World Is Here: Worker Co-ops and the Solidarity Economy in MA
This two day statewide convening will focus on the advancement of a worker ownership movement as well as the broader solidarity economy in Massachusetts. (March 16-17, Worcester, MA)
Responsible Business Summit New York 2019
More than 500 CEOs and other business leaders will gather to discuss the core challenges and understand the latest technologies that are shaping the future of responsible business. Hammad Atassi, CEO of NEC Member organization American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) will be a featured speaker. (March 18 – New York, NY)
Net-Work Hard Meet-Up
Work Hard Pittsburgh is hosting their first "Net-Work Hard" event of the year. Come tour CoLab 18's facility. CoLab18 is a place where Northside residents and regional partners join together to problem-solve, learn and dream. As an innovative resource, CoLab18 provides the community with access to both the space and technology needed to invest in one another. Come learn about what they have to offer. (March 19 – Pittsburgh, PA)
Towards Cooperative Commonwealth: Transition in a Perilous Century
Towards Co-operative CommonWealth is a master class in movement building for a new model of political economy that is sustainable, democratic, and socially just. Offered by the Synergia Institute and Athabasca University, it sets out the practical models and pathways for meaningful systems change at multiple levels. The goal: to better secure our basic needs for land, food, livelihood, social care, energy, finance and more in these increasingly difficult times. (March 25-July 14 – Online)
How Can We Make More Money? A Values Based Finance & Budgeting Seminar
(March 3rd Application Deadline) Build skills to strengthen your organization’s approach to finances and budgeting for social change. This seminar is designed for people at all levels. If you are a worker-owner, an educator, a cooperative developer, a community leader, or a board member of a group-oriented organization, this seminar is for you! Hosted in collaboration with NEC Member Organizations, Toolbox for Education & Social Action, and the Anti-Oppression Resource Training Alliance. (March 29-31 – Brooklyn, NY)
Global Advanced Messaging and Narrative Program
From conceptual metaphor theory to framing semantics, participants will practice critical examination of language – their own and others’ – towards effectively reframing the issues of our day. You’ll leave with a clear set of skills and analytic tools to further your campaigns, as well as valuable connections to practitioners around the globe who are themselves resources for better messaging, campaigning and narrative development. (March 30 Application Deadline – Multiple Locations)
Municipal Socialism Conference
Experts will help activists and town officials explore publicly owned & non-profit solar power, hydro power, affordable housing and broadband, expanded school services, and incentives for forming worker coops. (March 30 – Greenfield, MA)
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