A Space for Sharing Stories of Transformation
By Penn Loh This essay is a confession of sorts, from someone who believes that other worlds are possible and has worked in grassroots movements to fight against injustices and unsustainabilities for the last three decades. While we still have plenty to fight against and now aspire to a Just Transition to a new economy,Continue reading Reflections on Radical Transformation: Moving from a Singular System Story to Pluriverse
First and foremost, I hope that you and your loved ones are surviving and getting what you need in this trying time. “Are you okay” and “what can I do to help” are now meaningful questions that many are asking. For those of us fighting for justice and solidarity, these questions have always been real,Continue reading Solidarity is Moving in this Pandemic Moment
By Allie Wainer and Melissa Gordon In May 2019, a group of 18 students and faculty with Tufts New Economy and community members from the Solidarity Economy Initiative traveled to Montreal for a weekend to exchange ideas with organizations putting solidarity economy values into practice. Instead of traveling to an academic-style conference, we explored MontrealContinue reading Seeing Solidarity Economy in Action in Montreal
This article, written by Penn Loh and Molly Kaviar, was posted in Shelterforce magazine (Sep. 28, 2020): https://shelterforce.org/2020/09/28/planning-an-arts-district-with-art-and-fighting-displacement-with-community/. This piece shares learnings from our community action research collaboration with Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, focusing on how the arts have been used in community planning in Upham’s Corner. Jason Moreno first learned about redevelopment efforts takingContinue reading Arts for Community Control: Planning an Arts and Innovation District Without Displacement
Read this Juneteenth 2020 post in the Conversation by Tufts colleague Julian Agyeman and Kofi Boone (North Carolina State) on collective ownership and the black commons. Land loss has plagued black America since emancipation – is it time to look again at ‘black commons’ and collective ownership? Underlying the recent unrest sweeping U.S. cities overContinue reading Advancing the Black Commons
By Sarah Saydun On Tuesday, May 5th, over 60 educators, community members, and students gathered digitally for a symposium called “Deepening Community-University Partnerships.” The event provided a moment for reflection and celebration about Co-Research/Co-Education (CORE), an innovative, multi-year, community-based collaboration for teaching, research, and practice. This year, CORE completed its first three-year partnership with DudleyContinue reading CORE SYMPOSIUM: Deepening Community-University Partnerships
I have had the honor of participating in several online panels in April and May relating the coronavirus pandemic to economic justice, Earth Day, and community self-governance. Below are links to the recordings. Imagining and Demanding Economic Justice in the Time of Coronavirus[recorded Monday May 5] The Institute for Research on Race and Public PolicyContinue reading Pandemic Panels April-May 2020
Not all banks are created equal. Most are owned by Wall Street investors, while some are owned by their own customers (such as credit unions). The mutual bank, governed like a trust by a small group of “corporators,” occupies a position somewhere in between. Not beholden to stockholders, these mutuals are more free to act in ways that contribute to their communities, employees, and environmental sustainability. They can be critical catalysts for building community wealth and solidarity economies. Continue reading Mutual Banks: an old model for a new economy?
In summer 2019, the Co-Research/Co-Education (CORE) program at Tufts Urban & Environmental Policy and Planning (UEP) placed two graduate students with the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and Community Labor United, with support of the Tisch Summer Fellows program, a program of the Tisch College of Civic Life. Savannah-Nicole and Luisa report on their summer experiences below.Continue reading Summer 2019 CORE-Tisch Fellows Work with DSNI and CLU
Laura Flagg’s 2018 UEP Thesis (“Small-Scale Food Processing’s Role in Farm to Institution: Filling Market Gaps and Moving Toward a Regional Supply Chain”) explores small-scale food processing with a case study of Commonwealth Kitchen and three other processors. Read Laura’s full thesis here. By Laura Flagg Farm-to-institution initiatives are trying to grow the local economyContinue reading Filling the Food Processing Gap Between Local Farms and Institutions