Everything Co-op With Vernon Oakes

Roger Green, Co-chair of the "Coalition to Transform Interfaith Medical Center" discusses community efforts to reform the Health Care Systems in Brooklyn, New York. Roger Green is the Founder of "Citizen Share Brooklyn," and the "Society for Effective Economic Democracy" (SEED). In 2014 Green assumed a co-chairmanship of the Coalition to Transform Interfaith Medical Center. Previously, Green served as an elected member of the New York State Assembly in Central Brooklyn, representing the 57 district from 1981 to 2006. He has also been a distinguished lecturer at Medgar Evers College, part of the CUNY (City University of New York) system, and is a strong supporter of economic democracy.

Dr. Lisabeth Ryder, founder of WORCS, Worker Ownership Resources and Cooperative Services, discusses the Merits of Worker Ownership Cooperatives. Dr. Lisabeth Ryder has been a mechanic, small business owner, university teacher and anthropologist, plus a database analyst and computer programmer. She has also been a life-long social justice, environmental and human rights activist, who has been involved in both community and political organizing. She has worked for organized labor over two decades, having worked for both SEIU and AFSCME. She has been involved in cooperatives since the early 1970’s. Dr. Ryder is co-founder and co-owner of LUCI LLC, a developer and incubator of worker cooperatives in Southern California, and co-chairs the Union Co-op Council for the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. She is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Judith Hermanson, Director of the International Cooperative Research Group (ICRG) of the US Overseas Cooperative Development Council; Dr. Isaac K. Nyamongo; and Leah M. Lucas, international development professional, discuss the US Overseas Cooperative Development Council's four country study, "What Difference Do Cooperatives Make," and the International Evidence Summit. The summit will be held on May 26, 2021, 9:00 am - 11:00 am. For more info visit ocdc.coop. Dr. Judith Hermanson is a both a previously tenured professor of public administration at Northern Illinois University and leader in the international non-profit sector. At the ICRG she brings her expertise as an academic and scholar in combination with her deep knowledge of international development practice. Examples of her recent research include: PI on a recently completed multi-year, four country study, What Difference Do Cooperatives Make? She was a CO-I and recently published a peer reviewed article in Development Practice on Side Selling in

Dr. Lisabeth Ryder, founder of WORCS: Worker Ownership Resources and Cooperative Services appears on Everything Co-op. Vernon and Dr. Ryder discuss her live of advocacy, and the fundamentals of worker cooperatives. Dr. Lisabeth Ryder has been a mechanic and small business owner, a university teacher and anthropologist, plus a database analyst and computer programmer. She has also been a life-long social justice, environmental and human rights activist, and has been involved in both community and political organizing. She has worked for organized labor over two decades, having worked for both SEIU and AFSCME. She has been involved in cooperatives since the early 1970’s. She is a co-founder and co-owner of LUCI LLC, a developer and incubator of worker cooperatives in Southern California and co-chairs the Union Co-op Council for the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. She is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Bahni Turpin, Co-founder of SoLA Food Co-op shares the journey taken in the development of SoLA, and how the organization plans to practice sustainability, fair trade, fair labor, and support local agriculture. Bahni Turpin is an accomplished actress of stage and screen, and an award winning narrator of audiobooks. The co-op bug bit quite unexpectedly when she found her self living in the food desert of South Los Angeles. Bahni jumped in, getting the ball rolling to create SoLA Food Co-op, because she truly believes that her community should take its food system into its own hands.

Dallas Robinson, Communications Director at CoFED, Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive discusses programs and grants administered by CoFED to expand the food justice and the culture of cooperation. Dallas is a Black farmer and land steward. Dallas is committed to healing Black life in the south through agriculture. As the Enchanter of Engagement, Dallas looks forward to connecting and building cooperative power amongst young BIPOC. Dallas was one of 2019's Racial Justice Fellows at CoFED. The fellowship project was a mix of oral history collection and on-farm workshops [at the Harriet Tubman Freedom Farm]. Dallas listened to and learned from the stories of farmers and rural elders, many of whom are the children of sharecroppers, to bring light to the rich history of the region as well as inform the context for growing in Eastern North Carolina.

E.G. Nadeau, author and founding Director of Cooperative Development Services, discusses his newly released book, "Strengthening the Cooperative Community," and the history of cooperative development. In 1985 Nadeau was the founding director of Cooperative Development Services, a pioneering co-op business-planning organization in the United States. During a period from 1985 to 2017, Nadeau did domestic and international co-op consulting work for the National Cooperative Business Association/CLUSA, Land O’Lakes International Development Division, the Overseas Cooperative Development Council, and other organizations. Through that time, he worked on over 50 co-op projects in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Nadeau has authored or co-authored five books and numerous articles on cooperatives and societal cooperation. He also taught more than 25 courses with cooperative themes, including as a faculty member at the International Centre for Co-operative Management at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova

Trevor Claiborn and John Henry Harris discuss 1 Million Black Shovels, a Community, Home, & School Garden Groundbreaking Event Celebrating Black Farmers, Growers and Producers. Vernon and his guests discuss the importance of the reclamation of Black-owned farm land, and the significance that agriculture plays in survival and life. Trevor Claiborn, Co-Founder of Black Soil: Our Better Nature is an author, musician, environmental educator, co-operative extension professional, youth program director, and public speaker. In 2017 Trevor and Ashley C. Smith co-founded Black Soil: Our Better Nature to help reconnect Black Kentuckians to their heritage and legacy in agriculture. Black Soil fosters the next generation of Kentucky Black farmers and chefs and leads efforts to address racialized disparities and barriers. John Henry Harris holds a degree in economics and is pursuing a degree in Agricultural Economics. He developed his affinity for farming while working with his grandfather on the family farm. As a way

Dr. Nina Banks is Associate Professor of Economics at Bucknell University and president of the National Economic Association (NEA). Her publications focus on social reproduction and migrant households, Black women and work, and the economics of the first Black economist in the U.S. - Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander. Professor Banks teaches courses on U.S. women's economic history, gender and migration, and poverty in the U.S. Dr. Banks serves on the Board of Directors of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) and the Editorial Board of The Review of Black Political Economy. She is the Faculty Director of Bucknell in Ghana, and the university’s Academic Director for the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty. Professor Banks received her doctorate in economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Professor Banks is working on several book projects including a biography of Sadie T.M. Alexander and an edited volume Democracy, Race, and Justice: Select Speeches and Writings of Sadie T.M. Alexande

Sara Horowitz discusses her book "Mutualism: Building the Next Economy from the Ground Up." Sara Horowitz is the founder of the Freelancers Union and the Freelancers Insurance Company. Formerly chair of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Horowitz is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and has been featured on NPR and in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic, among other publications. A lifelong mutualist, she lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and daughter. In her recently released book Mutualism: Building the Next Economy from the Ground Up, Sara takes a profound look at the crisis of work and the collapse of the safety net, and gives a vision for a better way forward, rooted in America’s cooperative spirit. She brings us a solution to the current crisis of work that’s rooted in the best of American traditions, which she calls mutualism. If you are looking for a new way to build collaboratively, create the new American social contract, and prosper in t

Community Advocate Christie Gardner talks about her life of advocacy, and the Community Grocery Cooperative for East of the River, and other initiatives. Christie Gardner is advocate for community justice and equity – racial, social, economic, and health. Born in Kinston, NC, her family moved to Washington, DC when she was an infant. She attended Aiton Elementary, Kelly Miller Junior High School, and HD Woodson Senior High School’s Art Program, where she specialized in sketching and sculpturing. This work led to a subsequent scholarship and matriculation at American University. She has worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Now a senior citizen with a disability, and domestic violence survivor, her investment in her neighbors and the rights of others is demonstrated in her endless commitment to advocacy. Recently, Christie was nominated for GOODProject’s Black Justice Fellowship out of 4,000 entries for her contributions to the community. Christie is a founding board member of the Douglass Community Land

Renee Hatcher, JD discusses the Solidarity Economy and Community Enterprise. As Director of the Community Enterprise and Solidarity Economy Institute, Renee Hatcher challenges listeners to reimagine institutions in a way that fulfills ones humanity. Renee Hatcher is a human rights and community development lawyer. She is an Assistant Professor of Law, and the Director of the Community Enterprise & Solidarity Economy Clinic at UIC John Marshall Law School Chicago The legal clinic provides free legal support to cooperatives, community-based institutions, and other types of solidarity economy initiatives and projects. The framework of Hatcher’s scholarship and legal practice operates under the solidarity economy theory. In many ways, the work she does elevates “the good news” and not “just the resist work,” she adds. This can look like people organizing around worker cooperatives, building innovative enterprises or using bartering services or time-banking, for example, to address worker exploitation. Hatcher

Dr. Douglas Rushkoff, author and educator discusses economic "cooporativism" and circular economics. Dr. Rushkoff sets the premise that if the rest of the Country replicated many of the economic strategies used in Black communities, we could resolve many of the challenges being faced. Winner of the Media Ecology Association’s first Neil Postman award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity, Dr. Douglas Rushkoff is an author, teacher, and documentarian who focuses on the ways people, cultures, and institutions create, share, and influence each other’s values. He is Professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics at CUNY/Queens, where he founded the Laboratory for Digital Humanism. He is a columnist for Medium, technology and media commentator for CNN, a research fellow at the Institute for the Future, and a lecturer on media, technology, culture and economics around the world. His new book, a manifesto called Team Human, calls for the retrieval of human autonomy in a digital age. Prior to tha

Allen Edson, President of the Pasadena Branch of the NAACP, discusses the history, objectives, Initiatives of the branch, as related to the 2021 Black History Month theme: "Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity." For 15 years Allen worked in the Aerospace industry with the majority of those years working for Lockheed California company. He also worked 20 plus years in non-profit management with a interest in Environmental Justice. Alan developed this interest and formed his own Environmental Remediation Company. In 2006 his company was awarded the "Emerging Business of the Year" award in San Francisco. Currently Allen serves as the President of the Pasadena Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Allen is a Pasadena native. He attended Pasadena public schools, Pasedena City College, and earned a BA in Economics from UC Berkeley. Allen is the father of three, Ishmael, Khali, and Nadira.

Niki Okuk, Downtown Crenshaw Board Chair, and Damien Goodmon, Downtown Crenshaw Board Member, discuss plans for the acquisition and redevelopment Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The historic Crenshaw Mall being acquired through Downtown Crenshaw Rising, a community nonprofit established to purchase and redevelop the mall. Downtown Crenshaw plans to reinvent the mall as an “urban village.” The 40-acre site will be used to create worker owned businesses, community space, cooperative housing and much more. Niki Okuk attended Audubon Middle school in South LA and went on to complete her degree in Economics at Columbia University, a Masters from the Nanyang University in Singapore, and a certificate in Sustainability at MIT Sloan School of Business before returning home to start a green-collar business in Compton. Rco Tires existed for nearly a decade as an example of black woman owned small business, employing dozens of formerly incarcerated community members, recycling millions of pounds of tire rubber into new p

Trevor Claiborn Sr., is a 4-H Cooperative Extension Assistant at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky. An avid Agriculturist, and co-founder of "Black Soil: Our Better Nature," throughout his career he has continuously sought ways to use lessons in agriculture to connect generations. Trevor is also an author, musician, environmental educator, youth program director, and public speaker. In 2017 Trevor and Ashley C. Smith co-founded Black Soil: Our Better Nature to help reconnect Black Kentuckians to their heritage and legacy in agriculture. Black Soil fosters the next generation of Kentucky Black farmers and chefs, and leads efforts to address racialized disparities and barriers. In 2015 while earning his B.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment at Kentucky State University Land Grant College, Mr. Claiborn created and developed “Farmer Brown Tha MC.” He used this platform to deliver presentations about agriculture, diversification of agricultural and STEM fields, and to deliver creative youth e

Hugh Jeffers, VP of Origination at Centennial Mortgage Vets a Live Pitch for funding From Jacqueline Rivera of Hope Housing, moderated by Everything Co-op host, Vernon Oakes. They discuss the necessary steps to secure support from HUD to develop limited Equity Housing and worker cooperatives in Baltimore, and the necessary components of an impressive concept package for such a project. Hugh Jeffers is responsible for originating new business. He has 25 years of experience originating FHA loans. Hugh's expertise is in cooperative housing, and he serves on the board of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives. Prior to Centennial, he worked for Love Funding, Bellwether Enterprise, Arbor Commercial Mortgage and managed the affordable housing team at the National Cooperative Bank. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College, and a master’s degree from NYU’s Stern School of Business. Jacqueline Rivera is a mother of four, and owner and CEO of JBM Construction Development Group in Baltimore, Maryl

CEO Curtis Wynn, President of NRECA's Board of Directors discusses the five pandemics facing the US, and how the electric co-op industry is managing change and innovation. Curtis Wynn is President & CEO of Roanoke Electric Cooperative. With nearly 42 years of experience in the electric cooperative industry, Curtis began his career at West Florida Electric Cooperative. He has served on the NRECA Board of Directors since 2007, where he is entering his last year as Board President. A graduate of Troy University, Curtis holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration and management information systems. Curtis has led numerous movements at his co-op from the introduction of broadband service to new demand response capabilities. Under his leadership, Roanoke Electric has been a two-time recipient of NRECA’s Community Service Network Award, and Curtis is a past winner of the J. C. Brown Leadership Award. This year Curtis Wynn is coming to the end of his two-year term as NRECA President. When he took office

Shirley Sherrod, Executive Director of the Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education discusses her life-long experiences as an advocate for farmers, the outcomes of the Georgia runoff elections, and the successful work completed by the Southwest Georgia Project. Sherrod is quoted in an article that appeared in the Washington Post on Sunday, January 17, regarding Tom Vilsack’s nomination as agriculture secretary by the Biden Administration. She states: “He has to create a culture of racial and social justice across the agency to even begin to undo the harm that has occurred,” (see link Below) www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/01/14/vilsack-usda-black-farmers/ Shirley Sherrod is a Baker County Georgia native who grew up on her family’s farm. In March 1965, her father was murdered by a white farmer who was not prosecuted. The tragic murder of her father when she was 17 years old had a profound impact on her life and led to her decision to stay in the south to work for change. Shirley helped to st

Hugh Jeffers, Vice President of Origination at Centennial Mortgage, Inc. discusses the renewed interest in cooperative housing, and the National and Regional Resources being used to support them. Hugh Jeffers is responsible for originating new business. He has 25 years of experience originating FHA loans. His expertise is in cooperative housing, and he serves on the board of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives. Prior to Centennial, he worked for Love Funding, Bellwether Enterprise, Arbor Commercial Mortgage and managed the affordable housing team at the National Cooperative Bank. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College, and a master’s degree from NYU’s Stern School of Business.