What would it look like to create high quality, living wage jobs within Black communities in St. Louis? What if it were possible for us to create jobs that not only met the basic needs of these communities but also embodied the values of social justice, democracy, and cooperation?

We are a group of organizations who believe that we can transform our economy by creating democratically controlled and worker-owned businesses--that cooperative development is crucial to Black liberation. Our mission is to develop economic models which prioritize the wellbeing of our communities by recognizing the wealth of knowledge, time, and skills that already exist in our neighborhoods. These economic empowerment models must be built by and within our communities, drawing from the traditions of African American cooperative economics.

We’ve invited Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard, author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice to present her work as the keynote for Yeyo Arts Convergence Conference and to lead a strategic planning workshop for existing and emerging businesses and organizations which are interested in developing co-ops. The weekend will also bring a book-signing by Dr. Nembhard, coordinated with the Cowry Collective time-bank’s annual summer social.

Funding this campaign will serve to engage a critical mass of new people who can support the existing work of each of our collaborating organizations and will provide tangible tools, information, and resources to strengthen cooperative work on the ground. Your support will go directly to growing a better economy.