This week we’re reflecting on last week’s right-wing insurrection in the capitol, new data showing that women of color accounted for all job losses in December, inequality in the global vaccine rollout, and the economics of police and prison abolition.
PS: We’re hiring! Spread the word about our Interim Development Officer position and apply by February 5.
Stories From the Field
We Must Fight Against White Supremacy: Last week’s right-wing insurrection at the capitol was a shocking display of the growing white supremecist violence in the U.S. Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson of NEC member organization the Highlander Center reminds us that these attacks should come as no surprise, as Black, brown, Indigenous, AAPI, Southern and rural communities have long been sounding the alarm on the growing danger of white supremecist violence — from armed militias to the police to the halls of government. As we brace against the possibility of continued right-wing violence in the weeks to come, we must stay vigilant in fighting against white supremacy, attend to our grief, and center in revolutionary love.
Unemployment Hurting Women of Color Most: New data shows that women of color accounted for 100% of net job losses in December, with Black and Latinx women experiencing the vast majority of those losses and white women seeing net gains. This disturbing data underscores the importance of centering racial and gender justice in all work to build new economic institutions.
Solidarity Economy 101: What is the solidarity economy (SE) and how does it differ from other ‘alternative’ system frameworks? What are examples? Join the US Solidarity Economy Network (USSEN) for an introductory course to SE principles and practices. There are limited spots, and more than 900 people were interested in the first session, so make sure to register soon to join the next Solidarity Economy 101 session on January 30th.
Solidarity Economies Abroad
Global People’s Vaccine: While rich countries have bought up nearly three times the vaccines needed to vaccinate their entire populations, up to 90% of people in lower income countries may be unable to access a vaccine until 2022. Hear more about the growing movement for a People’s Vaccine to be distributed as a global public good.
Solidarity with Indian Farmers: Following historic general strikes across India in December, tens of thousands of farmers have organized encampments in Delhi to protest new neoliberal agricultural laws. Though some concessions were made by Parliament this week, protestors are resolved to keep up pressure until the laws are fully repealed. Read about how farmers across the world are showing their solidarity with farmers and working class Indians via La Via Campesina.
Co-ops Scale up in Spain: The Mondragon cooperatives in Spain form one of the largest sources of paychecks in the country, employing over 70,000 worker-owners. Read this New York Times profile of the Mondragon Co-ops to learn more.
Apply for the CoFUND
Last month, NEC member organization the Cooperative Food and Education Directive (CoFED) launched a new regranting program to build the collective resilience of food and land-justice cooperatives led by Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous People of Color of all ages. Each grantee will receive up to $5000.00 as well as 12 months of technical assistance in business management, financial and operational skills, and communications support. Learn more about the CoFUND and Apply by January 22.
Movement News
- “Solidarity, Not Charity”: A Visual History of Mutual Aid
- “We wanted to work the land with our kids”: the Black US farmers reclaiming the soil
- Boston Ujima Project Battles Financial Racism at Grassroots Level
- Cancel Our Debts, Then Cancel Debt
- Cleaning New York Subways, Immigrant Workers Find Abuse
- For Artists, ‘Representation Alone Is Not Power’
- How to Start a Cooperative
- Hundreds of Google Employees Unionize, Culminating Years of Activism
- Monetary Democracy
- The Case for Giving Workers Ownership Rights
- The Island Where Everyone Owns the Wind
- The Pandemic Economy
- Treasury to Make a $9 Billion Down Payment on a More Decentralized Banking System
- What is the Indigenous Landback Movement — and can it help the Climate?
- Why the South Is Organizing Its Own Green New Deal
Podcasts of the New Economy
How can the growing abolition movement sparked by Black Lives Matter uprisings in 2020 succeed in transforming the way we invest public resources? What are the economic underpinnings of the system this movement aims to change? Laura Flanders investigates the economics of abolition in conversation with historian Vijay Prashad, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Dr. Melina Abdullah, Los Angeles City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and prison abolitionist Andrea James. Listen now.
Additional Listens
Frontiers of Commoning – Janelle Orsi and the Art of the Legal Hack
The Red Nation Podcast – Settlers Gone Wild: Capitol Hill Edition
Upstream – Debunking the Myth of Homo economicus
NEC on the Gram
Follow NEC on Instagram — @neweconomycoalition — where we’re sharing out job opportunities, like our new Interim Development Officer position! Applications due by Feb 5.
Jobs
New Listings!
Black Membership Organizer, Climate Justice Alliance – Feb 1
Business Developer, ICA Group
Child Care Program Director, ICA Group
Co-Executive Directors, Climate Justice Alliance – Jan 22
Deputy Communications Director, Movement for Black Lives
Director of Events, The 19th
Director of Grassroots Relationships, Liberation in a Generation
Executive Director, Richmond LAND – Jan 29
Fundraising Consultant, US Department of Arts and Culture – Jan 26
Honor Native Land Project Partner, US Department of Arts and Culture
Interim Development Officer, New Economy Coalition – Remote, Feb 5
Membership Director, NYC Network for Worker Cooperatives – Jan 27
Organizing Director, Black Cornerstone/Center for Story-based Strategy
Policy Director, Grassroots Global Justice – Remote, Jan 29
Program Director, Austin Cooperative Business Association
Program Director, Social Justice Fund NW – Seattle/Portland
Senior Communications and Marketing Specialist, ICA Group
Worker Co-op Policy Advocate, NYC Network for Worker Cooperatives – Jan 27
All Jobs
Communications Manager, Cooperative Fund of New England – Jan 15
Community Organizer, East Bay Permanent Real Estate Coop – Bay Area
Operations Coordinator, East Bay Permanent Real Estate Coop – Bay Area
Senior Director, The Movement Cooperative – Remote
Senior Policy Analyst: Economic Democracy, Demos – New York, NY
Various Positions, Action Center on Race and the Economy
Various Positions, Center for Popular Democracy
Various Positions, Economic Policy Institute
Various Positions, PUSH Buffalo – Buffalo, NY
Various Positions, The Movement Cooperative – Remote
Upcoming Events
#ForwardTogether
Ahead of the inauguration this month, The Frontline is partnering with Women’s March, Rising Majority, the Movement for Black Lives, Working Families Party, United We Dream and others to continue to mobilize through #ForwardTogether, an unprecedented Mass Organizing Virtual Event. (Online – Jan 16)
Neoliberal Dems, White Nationalists & How We Resist the Status Quo of US Imperialism
Join Dissenters alongside Robin D.G. Kelley, Noura Erakat & other special guest speakers for this urgent conversation about the various forces upholding U.S. imperialism and how we resist the wars waged by elites on Black, indigenous and communities of color around the world. (Online – Jan 21)
Teach-In Series: Cooperative Principle #5
Co-hosted by the City of Berkeley and the SELC, this teach-in series aims to inform the general public about the nature and benefits of cooperation! (Online – Jan 25 through March)
Sankofa Series with Shirley Sherrod
The Sankofa Series is a monthly webinar series sharing the wisdom from past NESAWG conferences to help change the food system. This month’s presenter is Shirley Sherrod, civil rights activist and co-founder of New Communities Inc — the first community land trust in the US. (Online – Jan 26)
Climate Justice & Organized Labor
Join Powershift Network for this introduction on labor organizing and how it interacts with many aspects of the environmental justice movement, such as how right-to-work legislation and other union busting efforts. Panelists will also be discussing the connections between the current labor organizers and mutual aid organizers in the youth environmental movement. (Online – Jan 28)
Emergence Meets Emergency
Join the Massachusetts Solidarity Economy Network (MASEN) for the second event in their Emergence Meets Emergency series on solidarity economy initiatives across Massachusetts, this time focused on reparations, food and farming, and climate justice. (Online – Jan 29)
Boston Ujima Project | Citywide Assembly
Join Boston Ujima for a week of events as we work to return wealth and power to working class communities of color, and help bring another Boston to life. (Feb 14-22)
How to Start a Climate Assembly
In this People Powered Hub course, leading practitioners and advocates will share best practices and help participants identify next steps to advocate for and start a climate assembly in their home city or country. (Online – Feb 18)