Participants at Black-Led Day at Up & Coming Food Co-op Conference in Kalamazoo, MI, US. Sept, 2025
Photo: National Black Food & Justice Alliance
We’re back! We took a much needed break over the summer but missed sharing all of the incredible Black solidarity economy organizing happening. Now that we’re back, we’ve got plenty to share. In this issue, we celebrate the work of Black cooperative educators committed to cooperatives as tools for self determination.
Despite the Trump regime’s mounting attacks against social justice movements and global solidarity efforts,we remain committed to bringing you news about the vibrant and growing global movement that is the Black solidarity economy.
Keep scrolling for the newest news and resources across the global Black solidarity economy, and the latest on what we’re up to at Collective Diaspora.
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Maroon Dispatches
News from across the global Black solidarity economy
Participants and staff of Nexus Community Partners’ North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship, Cohort 9.
photo: Imani M Photography
Black Cooperative Education: A Pan-African Tradition
by Nonkululeko Shongwe
Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement taught that true liberation begins in the mind. Biko once said, “The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” His words remind us that reclaiming our identity, pride, and sense of worth is the first step toward freedom. When we believe in our own value, we can build strong communities and sustain collective power.
For generations, Black cooperatives have embodied that truth. Burial societies, mutual aid groups, shared farms, and worker-owned businesses grew from necessity but also built pride, solidarity, and strength. Across the Caribbean, Africa, and the Americas, these cooperative traditions taught self-reliance and community leadership. They show that economic independence and psychological freedom go hand in hand.
Pan-Africanism reminds us that our struggles are connected across borders. A savings circle in Jamaica, a farming collective in Tanzania, or a worker-owned kitchen in Chicago all share the same spirit. We are stronger when we come together, share resources, and lift each other up. Cooperatives are not only about survival. They are about practicing democracy, nurturing community, and reclaiming collective power.
Ubuntu, the African philosophy that means “I am because we are,” deepens this work. It reminds us that our humanity is shared, and our liberation is tied to one another. When we build cooperatives, share what we have, and care for our neighbors, we are living Ubuntu. None of us is free until all of us are free.
That spirit is alive today in Cohort 9 of the North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship, a program of Nexus Community Partners in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Fellowship supports Black cooperators who are developing projects that advance economic justice, community wealth, and collective ownership. Through education, relationship building, and storytelling, North Star creates space for Black leaders to deepen their cooperative practice and strengthen connections across the African diaspora.
Nexus Community Partners’ North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship, Cohort 9 in action. photo: Imani M Photography
This new cohort of cooperators is continuing a legacy that spans continents and generations. They are building on ancestral traditions while creating new forms of collective care and ownership. Fellows are connecting communities from St. Paul to Atlanta, Belize to Zimbabwe, Brazil to Portland, the DMV to Nigeria, and as far as Guinea-Bissau, Panama, and Cuba.
These cooperators are part of a global network of Black builders turning cooperative values into real solidarity. Whether they are growing food, creating healing spaces, or developing new models for art and education, they show that liberation has no borders. Their work reminds us that our strength is in our relationships and that our freedom is shared.
Through the North Star Fellowship, this network is weaving ties across the diaspora for mutual support and accountability. Freedom work takes imagination and structure. It takes people who see beyond boundaries and understand that Black survival and self-determination have always depended on collective effort.
Cohort 9 embodies that truth. They are renewing old traditions of mutual aid and creating new ones. Their work carries forward what Biko taught: that liberation of the mind opens the path to liberation of the world.
From St. Paul to Zimbabwe, from Atlanta to Cuba, from Minneapolis to Nigeria and beyond, we are still building liberation through Black cooperatives, creating the world we deserve, one act of solidarity at a time.
Beat The Drum: Calls for Support
- Call for Black Co-ops in Food Industries: The US-based National Black Food & Justice Alliance (NBFJA) is creating a Black Co-Op Directory for Food. The directory will highlight Black led cooperatives building sustainable Black food economies in the US. If your cooperative meets this criteria, add yourselves to the directory.
- Call to Download the Y.A.M.S. App: Developed by the National Black Food & Justice Alliance, the YAMS (Yielding Access to Market Solutions) app collects data on food purchases that is then shared with Black food co-ops. By shopping, scanning your receipts and sharing your data, you contribute to vital research that strengthens local Black food co-ops and food justice organizations. And it’s available on both Android and iOS! Download the app today and start using it.
Photo: Cocoa Mmaa
We’re thrilled to celebrate Leticia Yankey and other members of Cocoa Mmaa Cooperative in Ghana—a proud member of Chocolate Rebellion (aka the Cross Atlantic Chocolate Collective) and part of the Collective Diaspora network.
Leticia and her fellow co-op members recently returned from Colombia, where they were invited by the office of Vice President Francia Márquez to train a group of Black women cocoa growers, in processing and marketing their own chocolate as a cooperative. The exchange, part of the Female Cocoa Growers Mentors Programme, brought Ghanaian and Colombian women together to share skills, strengthen solidarity, and build sustainable livelihoods through cooperatives. The training was a continuation of a previous visit by women cocoa growers from Colombia to the cocoa co-ops in Ghana.
We celebrate Cocoa Mmaa’s leadership and Vice President Marquez’ commitment to building Pan African connections across the Global South.
Throwback to Summer 2018: Weekend Co-op Academy workshop in the community of Yolombo, Pacific Coast of Colombia led by Collective Diaspora co-founder Omar Freilla, hosted by 2018 Goldman Environmental Prize winner and current Vice President of Colombia, Francia Marquez (featured in center), and the Asociación de Mujeres Afrodescendientes de Yolombó.
Photos: Omar Freilla
Growing Partnerships to Map the Global Black Cooperative Ecosystem
Collective Diaspora is deepening its impact through two exciting new partnerships that will advance our effort to map and connect Black cooperatives worldwide.
First, we’ve partnered with identity.coop and the UK-based Digital Commons Cooperative to help populate the existing Cooperative World Map with verified data on Black cooperatives and Black-led cooperative support organizations. As part of this collaboration, Collective Diaspora will serve as a trusted data aggregator and verifier—while also developing our own dedicated Global Black Cooperative Map and Directory to spotlight the breadth and brilliance of Black cooperative enterprise around the world.
We’ve also joined forces with Morehouse College’s International Comparative Labor Studies (ICLS) program, which is launching an initiative—sparked by conversations with Collective Diaspora and U.S.-based Black cooperators—to create a national directory of Black cooperatives in the United States. Collective Diaspora will serve on the project’s advisory committee, ensuring alignment and shared learning across both efforts.
Together, these partnerships are helping build the foundation for a living, global map of the Black solidarity economy.
Meet us in Trinidad for Chocolate, Cooperatives & Culture
Collective Diaspora in collaboration with the Alliance of Rural Communities invite you to join us in Trinidad Feb 27 to Mar 4th 2026 for an educational tour and cultural exchange focused on chocolate, cooperatives and the rich culture and biodiversity of Trinidad. If you’re interested in joining us, let us know by completing an interest form.
Global Black Solidarity Economy in the News
News articles/essays/press covering any aspect of the Black solidarity economy
- Cooperation Jackson calls for support as Trump policies hit finances (US)
- Barbados, Belize, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ready for Full Free Movement on 1 October 2025 (Caribbean)
- Illustrating Economics: This Scholar’s Graphic Novel Explains the Black Cooperative Movement (US)
- Minnesota’s few Black farmers face unique barriers (US)
- What’s Next? Why Co-ops Are Essential in the Fight for Democracy (US)
- FAO helps Belize cooperatives in development (Belize)
- Black farmers are reclaiming their land — whether the USDA stands in the way or not (US)
- Gullah Farmers’ Cooperative Charts a Path for the Future of Local Food (US)
Resource Library:
Podcasts & Videos
- Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and Institution Building with Monica White (Shareable)
- Remembering Assata Shakur w/ Mama Ayanna, Thandizwe Chimurenga, Malkia Devich-Cyril and Kali Akuno (Law & Disorder)
- 5th Annual Black-Led Day Video Playlist (NBFJA)
- Developing Black Co-operative Pathways Toward Sustainability and Movement-Building (NBFJA)
- Kenya’s Gen Z Protest Movement Is Preparing to Govern (Jacobin)
- Black Feminist Politics Series | The Caribbean at the Crossroads (Black Feminist Fund)
- Setting Up Your Farms Bookkeeping System Skillshare (Black Farmer Fund)
- The Chipukizi VOD & Alphaprime Worker Cooperatives (Cooperation Africa)
- Launch Of Ghana Country Cooperative Research Reports 2025 (Cooperation Africa)
- The Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union (Cooperation Africa)
Report and more
- Solidarity Philanthropy: Redefining Philanthropy's Relationship to Social Movements (Guide) Grassroots international proposes a framework to support transformative action by those engaged in the philanthropic sector - funders, donors, and others – in tandem with social movements and allies. It particularly criticizes US based philanthropy's failure to see "the interconnectedness between foreign and domestic policy, and the existence of effective social movements outside of the US".
- The Land, Food, And Freedom Journal, Volume II, Issue I (Journal) The Land, Food, and Freedom Journal curates interdisciplinary conversations about Black food sovereignty, land justice, and art.
Funding
This fund is for Black-led and Black-serving organizations building regional solidarity economy ecosystems that are controlled and governed by the very people they serve. Applications are being accepted now through Nov 3rd.
The Black Solidarity Economy Fund is distributing $50k in rapid response funds to Black-led organizations building the solidarity economy that are finding themselves engaging in unforeseen areas of work due to a crisis. The fund will be available until December 12, 2025 and will reopen in 2026. To apply, complete this form.
No Movement Without Art
Songs, Film, Murals, and Paintings
“Bricks” by Andra Day from the film “Exhibiting Forgiveness”.
In loving memory of Zoraida Martez.
Upcoming Events
- Oct 14 - Build & Fight Educational Series: General Strike (online)
- Oct 22 - 0% Interest EQIP Bridge Loan: Informational Webinar (online)
- Oct 29-31, Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (Bordeaux, France)
- Oct 30 - From Pasture to Profit: Let's Talk Livestock Strategies (online)
Farmer 20-20 Co-op's Weekly Round-UP sessions are specifically designed for small-scale and socially disadvantaged farmers looking to maximize their livestock operations' potential.
- Oct 30 - Building Black Arts and Cultural Cooperatives: Creativity, Ownership, and Community Power (online)
This webinar will explore how Black artists are reclaiming cultural power and economic autonomy through cooperatives, empowering creatives through collective ownership, while preserving cultural heritage, resisting displacement, and building sustainable artistic careers.
- Nov 11 - Build & Fight Educational Series: Democratize The Economy (online)
- Nov 12-14 - Vision & Victory Conference: Expanding Black Employee Ownership (Atlanta, GA, US)
Morehouse College's International Comparative Labor Studies program is hosting this inaugural conference on Black employee ownership to inspire workers, small businesses, startups, students, and retiring business owners.
- Nov 17-18 - Building Strong African Cooperatives: Promoting an Enabling Environment for Sustainable Growth and Prosperity (online and Accra, Ghana)
- Nov 20 - Youth Cooperative Entrepreneurship: Teaching the Next Generation to Co-Own (online)
Participants will learn strategies for teaching young people the principles of cooperative ownership, democratic decision-making, and collective enterprise development. Facilitators will share case studies, curriculum approaches, and real-world examples of youth-led co-ops that are redefining what entrepreneurship looks like.
- Dec 3 - SAVE THE DATE: Setting Up a Customer Relationship Management System for Your Co-op by Collective Diaspora (online)
- Dec 16 - Build & Fight Educational Series: Dual Power & Free The Land (online)
- Jan 28 - SAVE THE DATE: Digital Security for the Black Solidarity Economy by Collective Diaspora (online)
- Feb 27-Mar 4 - Chocolate, Cooperatives & Culture of Trinidad Tour
Collective Diaspora in collaboration with the Alliance of Rural Communities invite you to join us in Trinidad Feb 27 to Mar 4th 2026 for an educational tour and cultural exchange focused on chocolate, cooperatives and the rich culture and biodiversity of Trinidad. If you’re interested in joining us, let us know by completing an interest form
Thank you for reading this month’s Global Black Solidarity Economy Newsletter. Have a news tip? Email omar@diaspora.coop.
