Our thoughts this week…

Building Our Own Tables: Black Cooperatives and the Power of Collective Ownership

The history of business ownership in America is very much a story riddled with exclusion. For Black women, that story is even more complex, marked by a constant struggle against systemic racism and a lack of access to capital. In this narrative though, a powerful thread of resilience and innovation shines through – it is the center of the history of Black cooperatives.

Black Solidarity: A History of Building Our Own

The cooperative model, built on the principles of democratic ownership, shared responsibility, and social equity, has a rich global history. In the United States, the cooperative movement gained momentum in the 19th century. Farmers, laborers, and immigrants, seeking economic independence, banded together to form mutual aid organizations, worker-owned businesses, and consumer cooperatives. These early co-ops provided essential services, fair wages, and a sense of community for members.

The Colored Farmers' National Alliance and Cooperative Union, established in 1877, stands as a powerful example of these principles in action. These cooperatives offered Black farmers a much-needed alternative to exploitative sharecropping practices and discriminatory agricultural organizations.

Throughout the 20th century, Black cooperatives continued to flourish, offering everything from grocery stores, credit unions, housing, childcare services, and even much-needed economic support during the Civil Rights Movement.

Now let’s answer the question of “why cooperatives”?

Things we’re talking about…

• Canva has taken many industries by storm with its innovative and accessiblely priced products. In comparison to Adobe’s $60ish per month fee, Canva has won the favor of many professionals and amateurs alike. Check out their upcoming virtual conference, where they will be sharing what’s on the horizon for the software that has become a staple for creatives everywhere, read more here.

• We’ve been waxing poetic about cooperatives and their role in Black economics but we figured we should take it old school and share a PBS video that highlights the main impact of the Black Cooperative models throughout history. Watch the video here.

• Sounds a bit wild to say, but Google might have some real competition soon. Open AI, the group behind ChatGPT, is planning to release its search engine sometime around May 13th. Considering Google currently holds 92% of all search engine traffic (guess Ask Jeeves won’t be making a comeback), and ChatGPT is rising in popularity as an alternative search option, Google should be a little concerned. Read more here.

• Does the fact that we scoured the internet to upload custom slack reaction gifs manually mean nothing?! Clearly, it does not. We had to upload each one INDIVIDUALLY! More on this here.

Resources…

If you’re local to Detriot, Michigan or in the surrounding areas, we encourage you to check out the Detroit Community Wealth Fund. The Fund will be hosting workshops centered on teaching the community about self-determination and sharing helpful insight on whether a cooperative model could work for your small business.

Check out their calendar of events here.