Land is a source of wealth and well-being. Communities of color in Boston have long struggled for control over land and the wealth generated on it. On May 12th, Tufts Practical Visionaries Workshop, Center for Economic Democracy, and Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative hosted a day long workshop to explore how to build more just, sustainable, and democratic community economies. Co-sponsors included Tufts New Economy, Tufts Intercultural Practice Group, and Tufts Diversity Fund.
We began the day with a tour of the Dudley Land Trust and Community Greenhouse.
Then we had a panel discussion on histories of struggle for community control of land in Boston with veteran leaders, Diane Dujon, Bob Haas, Che Madyun, Suzanne Lee, and Chuck Turner. Video clips of the panel are available here and the full video is available here.
In the afternoon, we held workshops on democratic control of land through community land trusts, and strategies for building democratic finance. We learned about the Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network convened by DSNI, new land trust initiatives in motion through the Chinese Progressive Association, the Urban Farming Institute of Boston, Coalition for Occupied Homes in Foreclosure, as well as new efforts for community controlled financial institutions being developed by Center for Economic Democracy.
Published by