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These Actors of Color Weren't Getting Roles, So They Started Their Own Theater

Damon Mitchell

October 09, 2019 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

A more diverse theater scene requires arts and culture organizations that embrace and reflect communities of color. In Detroit, Michigan, the nonprofit Black and Brown Theatre works to eliminate barriers for actors of color. The organization fosters a supportive network, casting actors, directors, and staff from communities of color in the Detroit area. Still, disparities in access to funding for arts organizations focused on racial minorities remain a challenge.

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Bringing Pro-Worker Home Care Practices from the Bronx to the Pacific Northwest and Beyond

Oscar Perry Abello

October 09, 2019 |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

Worker cooperatives offer a scalable model through which to ensure and protect the rights of home care workers. The Home Care Workers Purpose Trust, started by the Bronx-based Cooperative Home Care Associates, brings the worker co-op model to other home care programs across the country. The group, which partners with multiple worker advocacy organizations, most recently began a joint venture to serve southern Washington state.

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This Oakland Community Hub Was Designed for Restorative Justice

Emily Nonko

August 08, 2019 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Partnerships between nonprofits strengthen efforts to promote economic justice. Working together, several nonprofits focused on economic and restorative justice in Oakland have succeeded in opening Restore Oakland, a community and multipurpose center. The new building, which received funding from private donations and from the Akonadi foundation, provides a space nonprofits like the Ella Baker Center and the Restaurant Opportunity Centers United (ROC United).

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A Diverse Network of ‘Place Leaders' Activates Public Spaces in Boston

Sandra Larson

July 17, 2019 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

In Boston, many groups are working to public spaces, large and small, as they face upheaval and change in the face of rapid development. In one example, the Asian Community Development Corporation creates projects for new residents get involved in community, and the nearby Roxbury Cultural District sources local artists for public art projects.

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Resisting Big-City Capitalism Through Sisterhood ... and Pie

Damon Mitchell

July 17, 2019 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

In the nation's poorest big city, Sister Pie bakery is trying to do its part as a small business to adopt business concepts that aren't conducive to creating the highest profit margins but are, instead, centered around bringing equity to the Detroit neighborhood of West Village. Owner, Lisa Ludwinski, aims to "challenge traditional capitalism and the patriarchy" by hiring mostly local women, providing fair wages and health benefits, sourcing ingredients from local vendors, and providing discounts to neighborhood residents.

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Can Employee Ownership Preserve Legacy Businesses in Communities of Color?

Sandra Larson

July 15, 2019 |

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Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

As gentrification has flourished and Baby Boomers age out of the workforce, “legacy businesses” struggle to find a way to maintain a presence in communities of color. In response, a multi-city fellowship called Shared Equity in Economic Development (SEED) was developed to educate business owners on transferring ownership to the employees to ensure its future. Four cities—Philadelphia, Atlanta, Durham, and Miami— paired three city employees with one community member to work together over a two year period to leave the city with “clear plans, clear roles and good foundations for future business conversions."

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When Green Infrastructure Is an Anti-Poverty Strategy

Barbara Brown Wilson

July 08, 2019 |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

In many low-income neighborhoods, new green infrastructure elements and green spaces signal the beginnings of gentrification. A coalition in one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon is drawing on grassroots leadership, leadership development and job training programs, and culturally-specific green infrastructure construction to fight displacement and ensure that the current residents can benefit from the sustainability and livability improvements they make to their neighborhood.

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A Worker Cooperative and a Community Land Trust Bought a Building Together

Oscar Perry Abello

June 18, 2019 |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Cooperative ownership provides an avenue through which local nonprofit organizations and businesses can retain ownership of real estate. In Oakland, California, the Oakland Community Land Trust uses federal grants and donations to then acquire and retain ownership of commercial and residential properties. In cases where funds offered by the Trust or from crowdfunded donations are not sufficient, as with the Hasta Nuerte worker owned co-op coffee shop, offering up equity in the venture to private investors can help raise capital.

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How West Oakland Financed Its Own Grocery Store

Oscar Perry Abello

May 30, 2019 |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Public investment campaigns can raise capital and attract larger institutional investors. In the neighborhood of West Oakland, the Community Foods Market opened its doors by raising funds through a Direct Public Offering (DPO). In addition to using traditional grant funding and so-called “angel” investors, the Community Foods Market turned community members into investors, giving them partial ownership of their local grocery store.

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The Cities Funding Legal Defense for Immigrants

Zoe Sullivan

May 21, 2019 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

As the struggles of refugees and immigrants drudges on, a number of cities across the US are gathering funding for their legal defense. One strategy, a legal counsel program called New York Family Immigrant Unity Project, has proven so successful that it now has 19 other counties in states like Colorado and Georgia participating in their network. Beyond that, these public defense projects often comprise of both public and private dollars and are all working for the right (not guaranteed by the US Constitution) to have access to legal counsel during immigration proceedings.

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