Everything Co-op With Vernon Oakes

Village of Leaders Thriving for Solidarity discuss its Co-op Ecosystem for Returning Citizens

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Synopsis

February 27, 2025 - This episode marks the conclusion of Everything Co-op's Black History Month series, focusing on the 2025 theme set by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH): "African Americans and Labor." This theme examines how different forms of labor—free and unfree, skilled and unskilled, vocational and voluntary—have shaped Black experiences throughout history. Vernon Oakes continues this discussion alongside three leaders from VOLTS (Village of Leaders Thriving in Solidarity): Camille Kerr, co-founder of Upside-Down Consulting, Edrinna Bryant, co-owner of ChiFresh Kitchen and Jumpstart Housing Cooperative, and Sharon Hopkins, co-owner of 6ix-cess Foods. VOLTS is a newly formed non-profit that builds on years of cooperative development work to create lasting economic justice for formerly incarcerated individuals, particularly Black women. By formalizing and expanding its model, VOLTS provides the structure and support needed to scale worker-owned businesses and c