Economic Justice

Jessica Gordon-Nembhard talks about her research into the history of African-American co-ops.

Founded on women’s liberation, ecological sustainability, and direct democracy, Rojava’s political system provides a dramatic alternative to the status quo values of patriarchy, capitalism, and the nation-state that define the Middle East and much of the world. 

The Rede Mulheres do Maranhão (RMM) – Women’s Network of Maranhão –  is a cooperative made up of 16 solidarity enterprises, bringing together more than 200 members. Their activities include the production of sweets and honey, processing and cracking of babaçu nuts and cashew nuts, baking, vegetable and greens cultivation, and clothing manufacturing.

Ai Van Kok explains how she has used "The £1 Model" to help worker co-ops in the UK better understand, and take control of, their business expenses.

In Venezuela’s Amazonas state, fishing has long been not just a trade but a whole way of life rooted in collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual aid. Now, under the US blockade, fishing has become an even more important source of food. At the same time, the cooperative way of working of traditional fisherpeople has proven useful in solving blockade-induced obstacles.

In this session, Stephanie Rearick of Humans United in Mutual Aid Networks discusses getting started on projects and Julian Rose of Endstate ATL and New Economy Coalition discusses key considerations for sustainability, including governance, power, conflict, and more. 

The following is a verbal report presented to the members of the Ella Jo Baker Intentional Community Cooperative (EJBICC), during their 2025 Annual Meeting.

Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard is a Community Justice and Social Economic Development Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at John Jay College. She is an internationally recognized and widely published political economist specializing in cooperative economics, community economic development, racial wealth inequality, solidarity economics, Black Political Economy, popular economic literacy, and community-based approaches to justice. In this broadcast, she discusses the history & importance of Black economic cooperatives.

What if the way we support artists is broken, but the answers have been with us all along? Today on Next Economy Now, we’re joined by Ethiopian-American vocalist, composer, and cultural activist Meklit Hadero to explore how migration shapes music, why the traditional music industry is collapsing, and how collective economic models could be the key to artists' survival. 

Whereas traditional firms can simply lay off or decrease the hours of workers, those sorts of options aren’t really available for a lot of worker co-ops.