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The following is an excerpt from an essay, “Shaping Change in Uncertain Times: Reflections on Democracy, Hope, and Resilience” written by our Co-Executive Director, Shari Davis. We encourage you to read the full version on our website (located under the resources tab).
“This year, as I watched another election unfold, this fact remains true: Now, more than ever, I feel we must ground ourselves in our communities, strengthen our connections, and organize to protect our rights and freedoms, especially for women, immigrant, and trans communities. Through organizing, political education, and collective action, we can continue to counteract divisive forces and build a multi-racial radical democracy that centers economic justice and real people’s power.
While the candidates change, what I truly believe in, is an economic democracy—one that transcends the limitations of November elections and goes beyond the hollow words of representatives who too often fail to truly represent us. I want a democracy that isn’t just about voting, but about building the infrastructure to make meaningful decisions together, to ensure that everyone has a voice, and that no one is left behind.”
Here at CED, our assignment remains the same: dismantle racial capitalism along with other oppressive systems and create lasting pathways to freedom for all. Let this moment galvanize us to act with solidarity, dignity, steadfast commitment to our people, our lands, and a shared vision for a just, liberated world. In this edition of CED’s newsletter, we will continue to uplift real examples of collective governance and ownership in action and offer ways for you to get involved in advancing our vision.
Worker-owned cooperatives are on the rise in MA, fueled by the COWOP coalition
Here’s a reason to celebrate: alongside our movement partners in the Coalition for Worker Ownership and Power (COWOP), we’re on track to win access to millions in public grants and loans for worker-owned cooperatives in MA! The latest MA economic development bill enshrines this support for coops. Legislators are voting on it today – we expect it will pass and then get signed into law soon by the governor. This will be a direct investment by the State of Massachusetts into democracy, dignity and prosperity for workers. Many coops are immigrant, working class, and BIPOC-owned and have faced obstacles to accessing capital, so this victory is also an investment in racial and economic justice.
This good news comes on the heels of another big win for COWOP: funding for the Massachusetts Center for Employee Ownership, a new state office tasked with supporting worker-owned businesses, plus priority access for worker-owned companies to public funding for technical assistance. And it follows the October release of “Cooperatizing Boston”, a report we commissioned by researcher Erwin Li, that breaks down practical steps for municipal support of the sector.
Over the past decade, businesses that are owned and governed by their workers have tripled in Massachusetts. The grassroots movement fueling the exponential growth of worker-owned cooperatives in the Commonwealth is organized by the COWOP coalition, which we catalyzed and continue to coordinate. Learn more about COWOP and our wins by clicking below.
From July 1 to August 15, almost 800 residents submitted 1238 ideas for how the City of Boston should spend $2 million through Participatory Budgeting. While the Better Budget Alliance hoped more residents would have participated, the great news is that partnering with community organizations brought many more people in, especially poor and working class Black and Latine people from Dorchester and East Boston.
Over the last couple of weeks, community groups hosted Visioning Forums along with the Office of Participatory Budgeting so that residents could review all the ideas submitted during the idea collection phase and draft the proposals that will go on the ballot for voting in January.
Through this part of the process, members of the community were able to weigh in to make sure the proposals they thought would have the most meaningful impact, especially on populations with less access to resources, could be prioritized.
Boston residents: Submit your feedback to the 15 draft proposals presented by the Participatory Budgeting Oversight board by November 22nd using the form linked below. Help the Better Budget Alliance ensure these proposals represent community needs and work to advance racial and economic justice!
Building the Solidarity Economy in Massachusetts
Organizers in Massachusetts have been building a new economy for years – one that’s rooted in solidarity and cooperation, not exploitation. A new article from Nonprofit Quarterly written by our amazing Board member Penn Loh, lifts up powerful land trusts, cooperatives, participatory budgeting and many other concrete tools organizers have leveraged in building a world beyond racial capitalism.
Check out the following excerpt and read the rest of the article here.
“The solidarity economy is a movement that envisions an alternative to capitalism—one rooted in mutual aid, cooperation, and democratic ownership. It encompasses practices and organizations that prioritize people and the planet over profit, aiming to build an economy that is equitable, sustainable, and inclusive. After a decade of efforts in Massachusetts to build such an economy, it’s time to look back and assess the successes, challenges, and paths ahead.”
If you’re inspired by these efforts and want to take your own solidarity economy project to the next level, we have an exciting opportunity for you: Are you part of a solidarity economy project based in Massachusetts that would benefit from connection to TA support, thought partnership, education, and peer support from other values-aligned people and projects? Then you should apply to be one of the 5 projects in our new two-year Solidarity Economy Incubator.
Applications are due on Dec. 6th. For more information or to apply, refer to the two-page flier linked below.
Take Action for Palestinian Liberation: Block $20B in weapons to Israel!
Within the next couple weeks, we have a narrow window to block the $20 billion weapons deal to Israel that the Biden administration approved in August. Blocking this weapons deal and placing an immediate arms embargo on Israel, as required by U.S. law, could not be more urgent.
Friend, we know anti-Palestinian dehumanization runs deep in Congress and some members may not be moveable. But for every member of Congress who is moveable at this moment, it remains critical that they hear from you. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, and Jeff Merkley recently introduced six Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to halt the $20 billion weapons deal. In the next week or two, the Senate will hold the first vote in history to directly block weapons to Israel. Each member of Congress will be forced to go on record with where they stand. These resolutions are important because they’re the most effective vehicle to block the $20 billion deal Biden approved and stop these weapons in their tracks.
Urge your members of Congress to block the $20 billion weapons deal and place an arms embargo on Israel now. Send an email right away using the button below.
Movement Finance Forum Event Coordination Consulting Services Needed: Request for Proposals!
Movement Finance Forum (MFF) is a new network, convened by CED, with support from partners at M4BL, NEC, CJA and more, that will bring together grassroots organizations, funders, investors, and capital strategies practitioners to coordinate Just Transition efforts. We are hosting our first in-person convening in May or June of 2025 and are looking for an event coordination consultant to support the logistics for this event. This consulting role will work with the MFF planning team and will make recommendations and support the team in executing the event.
The responsibilities of this role involves securing event locations, managing lodging, travel, and registration for 100-120 attendees, and coordinating all other logistical aspects including food, AV, and vendor contracts to ensure alignment with budget and event needs. Compensation for this role is up to a $25k contract for event coordination consulting services.
The deadline for proposals is on November 21st by 11:59pm. Submissions should be submitted by email and include a letter of interest, budget outline, and work plan. For more information and additional instructions, please refer to the Request for Proposals document linked below.
