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Sent 01/31/2025

January 31, 2025

STARTING TOMORROW!

A BRIEF HISTORY OF BLACK COOPERATIVES IN THE U.S. 
By Mira Luna, Introduction by Zanetta Jones. Shared from Shareable

For as long as there have been Africans in America, there have been examples of Black social, cultural and economic solidarity. Often formed in response to systemic exclusion and economic stagnation, examples range from mutual aid networks, to freedom farms and grocery cooperatives.   

Though centuries of erasure have shrouded the impact Black Americans have had on the history and development of modern cooperative economic movements, countless historical examples remain. 

Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard is a political economist specializing in economic development policy, Black political economy, and popular economic literacy. Her extensive research chronicles the robust (though mostly-forgotten) history of a people determined in their fight for self-sufficiency, communal resilience and economic prosperity. 

In an interview with writer Mira Luna, Dr. Gordon Nembhard talked about her research on African American cooperative economics, which she further detailed in her 2014 book

Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity. 

Q: Why did African-Americans first start getting involved in cooperative economic activity? Was it for political or practical reasons or both?

Dr. Gordon Nembhard: African Americans started using cooperative economics from the moment they were forcibly brought to the Americas from Africa, at first for practical reasons. They realized that their survival depended on working together and sharing resources. 

Enslaved Blacks might share a small kitchen garden to provide more variety of food than what the master would give them. Those that had the opportunity to earn money would pool those earnings to buy each other’s freedom – when there was a master who was willing to sell. Gradually, enslaved as well as freed Blacks started mutual aid societies through religious and fraternal institutions.

N.C. Mutual Insurance was founded in 1898. The Company’s first office is pictured in this 1902 photo. NC Mutual went on to become one of the largest Black-owned businesses in America. Credit: Durham County Library

These pooled members’ dues and monthly fees to use to bury a member, provide a small stipend for widows and orphans, for health care access, etc. 

As more and more became free, the mutual aid societies became larger and covered more services. Eventually some evolved into mutual insurance companies. Freed African Americans in those early years and after the Civil War also pooled money and labor to buy and run a farm or jointly buy farm supplies and reduce costs. 

Q: Can you tell us about other types of cooperative economic activities have Africans been engaged in?

Dr. Gordon Nembhard: After Reconstruction, some elements of organized labor joined together for economic and political reasons to try to win political rights for small farmers, laborers and Blacks. Continue reading…

This interview was originally published in a 2014 Shareable article.


The Power of Co-op Ownership in the Black Community

NCBA CLUSA hosts a panel at the National Press Club in Washington, DC Feburary 13, 2017. The Power of Cooperative Ownership in the Black Community features Jessica Gordon Nembhard, author of Collective Courage and Professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development at John Jay College-CUNY; Cornelius Blanding, Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund; LaKeisha Wolf, Executive Director of the Ujamaa Collective; and Alex Serrano, Vice President of Strategic Development at NCBA CLUSA.


THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED

 

EACH YEAR, RISING TIDE PLACES A GROUP ORDER WITH FEDCO SEEDS

Seed orders receive a 20% discount and the entire group order will be delivered to Rising Tide. SNAP/EBT shoppers will receive an additional 50% point-of-purchase discount on the seeds of edible plants, courtesy of Farm Fresh Rewards. 

The deadline for submitting your order has been extended to Friday, February 14. The seeds should arrive by early March, just in time to start indoor seedlings.

Fedco is a Maine-based worker/consumer-owned cooperative specializing in gardening, farming and orcharding supplies from their warehouses in Clinton, ME. Their mission is to support you in growing food that contributes to the health and wellness of individuals, families, communities and our planet. 

Visit our website for ordering instructions.


STARTING MARCH 1
Starting March 1st, we will no longer accept checks as a form of payment. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. We reached this decision based on an increase in processing issues, fraud, and the need to simplify and expedite the checkout process. You can pay with cash, debit, or credit card. Thanks for your understanding.
WHAT’S THE WORD, PHIL?

The groundhog makes his prediction on Sunday!


FEBRUARY 6

 

Every month, we donate .5% of our Wednesday sales to an organization nominated and voted on by our member-owners. That organization is also invited to come into Rising Tide and present information and takeaways for the public to be educated and aware of this organization’s efforts within our community. 
 
FEBRUARY’S PARTNER:

The mission of Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust is to care for the lands and waters of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid Region by conserving special places, protecting water quality, creating trails and public access, and deepening connections to nature.

Coastal Rivers was formed by the unification of Damariscotta River Association and Pemaquid Watershed Association in March 2019. Coastal Rivers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, membership supported, community based, nationally accredited land trust and conservation organization with more than 1,800 members conserving nearly 4,000 acres of the region’s most significant lands for public benefit.

www.coastalrivers.org


FROM OUR FRIENDS AT SKIDOMPHA LIBRARY

Starting February 4!
NEW! Spice of Life Collection: Take-and-Make Spice Kits
Available in the Atrium | Skidompha Library
February: Jamaican Jerk Spice

Want to expand your palette, but don’t know where to start? Hate buying a whole jar of a spice you’re not even sure you’ll like? Try Skidompha’s new Spice of Life Collection! Starting the first Tuesday of each month, patrons will be able to take home a sample of the highlighted spice, two recipes on how to use it, and a suggested reading/history guide. All spices are organic and donated by our kind sponsors at Rising Tide Co-op.


GRAB A HEART


SUPPORT LOCAL

If you would like to attend from afar, please get in touch with board@risingtide.coop and you will be sent a link to attend via Zoom. To learn more about our board, please visit the Board of Directors page HERE

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