MONTREAL, February 14th, 2020 — Nine community partners in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce have joined forces with members of the neighbourhood’s Black English-speaking community to put on a unique event during Black History Month:
Lessons Learned from Jackson, Mississippi: How co-ops are an inclusive tool in fighting poverty and revitalizing urban centres.
Through a series of free, public activities, we invite community members to explore the cooperative model as an alternative to the poverty of racialized communities.
Theme: Is the social and solidarity economy an alternative to the precarity of racialized communities?
When: Friday, February 21, from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: Kensington Presbyterian Church, 6225 Godfrey Ave., Montreal, H4B 1K3
What: Public forum, followed by a panel discussion with
- Kali Akuno, co-founder of Cooperation Jackson (Jackson, Mississippi)
- David Austin, Montreal author and historian
- Jackie Millington, owner of Chocolatier Festive Creations
- Nantali Indongo, moderator, host of CBC’s The Bridge
A light meal will be served.
The location is accessible to people with limited mobility.
Childcare is available upon request, contact remy@depotmtl.org or (514) 483-4680
“What we want to know is if Cooperation Jackson’s strategy of sustainable job creation through worker co-ops be replicated in Montreal,” said Daniel Rotman, Executive Director of The Depot Community Food Centre. “Can it be an inclusive tool for fighting inequality and systemic racism?”
According to the 2016 Census, 20.8% of racialized people in Canada live in low-income households, compared to 12.2% of non-racialized people.
-30-
For more information, contact :
Rémy-Paulin Twahirwa
Community Worker
remy@depotmtl.org or 514 503-7993
The community partners are Comité Jeunesse NDG, The Depot Community Food Centre, Head and Hands, The Loyola Centre, The NDG Community Council, The St. Raymond Community Centre, The Walkley Community Centre, Westhaven Elmhurst Community Recreation Association & Women on the Rise.
Cooperation Jackson is an emerging cooperative network based in Jackson, Mississippi. The network consists of four interconnected and interdependent institutions: a federation of emerging local worker cooperatives, a cooperative incubator, a cooperative education and training center, and a cooperative bank. The work of Cooperative Jackson is an inspiration, demonstrating how we can build an economy based on equity, cooperation, worker democracy and environmental sustainability to provide decent wages, reduce racial inequality and enrich our communities.
Kali Akuno is an organizer, educator, and writer for human rights and social justice. He is a co-founder and director of Cooperation Jackson.
David Austin is a former community organizer and youth worker who has written several books about social movements, socialism and the Caribbean and black radical traditions.
Jackie Millington worked in the corporate world for over 10 years before taking a leap of faith and starting Chocolatier Festive Creations.
Nantali Indongo, host of CBC Montreal’s The Bridge, is a community educator and member of the hip hop group Nomadic Massive.