community entreprenourship:

an exploration of collective economic development models in the urban context

cnu 2021 fellow: aiyah josiah-faeduwor

mit mcp/mba ‘21

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—Audre Lorde

“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”

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understanding the context

• black socialist of america dual power map
• minority business development agency - us chamber of commerce
• the national minority supplier diversity council
• survey of business owners and self-employed persons (sbo) 2012 - us census bureau
• annual business survey 2019 - us census bureau
• schumacher center for new economics community land trust directory
• international cooperative alliance’s (ica) blueprint for a cooperative decade 2013

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covid aside, the status of mbe’s are/were dire

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these outcomes, and impacts hit home

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“… such organizations are better able than their shareholder-owned counterparts to retain workforces when the economy falters—and more willing to invest in their communities when markets pick up again.” Marc Schneiberg,

Organizational Imaginaries: Tempering Capitalism and Tending to Communities through Cooperatives and Collectivist Democracy

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cooperatives are a part of black history in the us

cooperation has proved a powerful tool against discrimination … early forms of cooperation ranged from mutual insurance companies to buying clubs to collective farming. the underground railroad is a famous example of cooperative effort.” - a short history of black cooperatives in america

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how do we understand and innovate within cooperative models to make the movement palatable, sustainable and scalable in the urban context?

thesis question:

the cooperative movement is multifaceted

Education

Housing

Healthcare

Food & Ag

Business

Finance

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“Providing integrated services to largely mature food businesses owned by people of color and addressing acute barriers that hamper their growth.” - foodlabchicago.com

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food lab chicago

“In addition to providing meaningful jobs and asset-building opportunities for workers of all income levels, worker cooperatives can play an important role in building movements for economic justice and social change: as institutions where real democracy is practiced on a day to day basis, they are a model for the empowerment we will need to create the change we envision.” - https://wecandoit.coop/other-coops/

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si se puede women’s cooperative - new york

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popup rhody - rhode island

PopUp Rhody is an online marketplace for RI establishments to post extra space for retail, event or meeting popups. It's just like Airbnb but rather than posting rooms for rent, businesses post space for meeting, event or retail happenings.

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what’s next? - umarket

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co-

umarket physical

gracias!

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