The US cooperative movement recently lost a leading light in the person of Clark Arrington, whose long career as a co-op lawyer included working for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Equal Exchange, and the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, among many others. A student of Clark's at SNHU's Community Economic Development program, GEO member Ajowa Ifateyo, writes about his legacy of cooperative education and innovation.
Then, five cooperators in the burgeoning cannabis industry discuss how they are working to forward worker and community ownership models, and to make sure that the people and communities most impacted by decades of the "drug war" benefit from marijuana decriminalization.
Clark Arrington’s Legacy
Inspired by Marcus Garvey, he innovated worker cooperative financing and legal strategies
by Ajowa Nzinga Ifateyo
“We really gave him a baptism on the cooperative economy,” recalled John Zippert, who recruited Arrington in the 1960s to work with Federation of Southern Cooperatives. Together Arrington and Zippert spearheaded the creation of the Minority People’s Council to create worker-owned cooperative enterprises from donations from residents – similar to how Garvey raised money for the Black Star Line.
Community Ownership and Racial Justice in the Cannabis Industry
by US Federation of Worker Cooperatives
In this video, our panel of experts in the cooperative cannabis industry discuss challenges and opportunities to expand ownership and give reparations to those impacted by the War on Drugs. The legal cannabis industry is new and fertile ground for cooperative organizing and in this panel, founders and worker-members from across the country discuss their cooperative-building projects to create community-based and economically-just cannabis markets at local and statewide levels.
Seeing the Elephant: Cross-Sectoral Cooperative Awareness and Opportunity
National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives — The strength of cooperatives has led to the establishment of sectoral organizations that advance the work of co-ops in their industries. Yet we have much to learn from the rich history and vibrant energy of cooperatives (including credit unions) from across the spectrum: large and small, established and emerging, near and far...
Eadha Bakery Worker Co-op - 2024 Cooperative Achievement Award
Manitoba Cooperative Assoc. (YouTube) — Eadha Bakery worker co-op is a small bakery in the west end of Winnipeg. We specialize in sourdough, all of our bread and all of our pastry is all made with sourdough. We operate under a queer, anti-racist, de-colonial mandate, and we strive to be active and supportive of all the members in all the communities we're a part of ...
Ecuadorian Cleaning Cooperative gets off the ground in Massachusetts
Co-operative News — Originally from Ecuador, Johanna, Estefania, Silvia, Yadira, Grace, and Marilou were looking for additional work in Pittsfield, where they now live, when they met Hitchcock and Fecteau at a community space and food pantry run by Roots and Dreams and Mustard Seeds. After learning about the co-op model, they enrolled on the co-op development class...
The UN unveils 2025 International Year of Cooperatives logo
International Cooperative Alliance — The International Cooperative Alliance is pleased to announce that the United Nations (UN) has released the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives (IYC2025) logo today. Organisations wishing to use it need to follow the instructions here. The IYC2025 theme Cooperatives Build a Better World, was announced on 19 June, and it showcases the enduring global impact cooperatives have everywhere. The theme puts a spotlight on how the cooperative model is an essential solution to overcome many global challenges, plays an important role to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030....
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