| WOMEN IN COOPERATION |
| WOMEN IN COOPERATION |
Join the Movement
We’re illuminating, celebrating, empowering women through courageous conversations with women working in the cooperative movement as well as women working collaboratively in a variety of industries for positive social impact on the podcast network.
Share more about you and how you’d like to support this initiative.
Join the Movement!
Queens of Coop
JESSICA GORDON NEMBHARD
GUEST/HOST
Professor, economist, and author, specializing in cooperative economics, economic justice, and community wealth-building.
Author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice, the seminal book on Black cooperative history.
Longtime advocate for economic democracy, researching and promoting cooperatives as tools for racial and economic equity.
Member of the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network and the Grassroots Economic Organizing Collective, supporting cooperative movements.
Speaker and educator, dedicated to uplifting Black cooperative traditions and expanding cooperative development in marginalized communities.
IYAFALOLA OMOBOLA
SPECIAL GUEST
Cooperative development leader and advocate for Black economic empowerment and community ownership.
Founding member of Cooperation Jackson, a grassroots movement building a solidarity economy in Jackson, Mississippi.
Experienced organizer and educator, focused on cooperative economics, self determination, and social justice.
Passionate about cultural preservation and liberation, integrating African-centered principles into cooperative work.
Speaker and trainer on cooperative governance, economic democracy, and movement building for Black and marginalized communities.
IYAFALOLA OMOBOLA
SPECIAL GUEST
Herstory in Black Podcast Series
SHIRLEY SHERROD
SPECIAL GUEST
Co-founder of New Communities, Inc., the first community land trust in the U.S., established in 1969 to support Black farmers and land ownership rights.
Civil rights activist and advocate for racial and economic justice in agriculture.
Former USDA Georgia State Director of Rural Development, the first Black woman in this role.
Champion for Black farmers, instrumental in the Pigford v. Glickman lawsuit, securing settlements for discrimination victims.
Co-founder of the Southwest Georgia Project, dedicated to social justice and community development
AJOWA IFETAYO
GUEST/HOST
Co-founder of the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives and long-time advocate for economic justice through cooperative business models.
Journalist and cooperative movement leader, writing extensively on cooperatives, economic democracy, and social justice.
Former board member of the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI), supporting worker cooperatives nationwide.
Experienced trainer and speaker on cooperative development, governance, and racial equity in the cooperative economy.
Committed to Black cooperative history and uplifting marginalized communities through cooperative economics and collective ownership.
AJOWA IFETAYO
GUEST/HOST
KAREN WASHINGTON
SPECIAL GUEST
Karen served as Board President for Green Worker Cooperatives in NY. She is a board member and former president of the New York City Community Garden Coalition, a group that was founded to preserve community gardens.
She also Co-Founded Black Urban Growers (BUGS) an organization of volunteers committed to building networks and community support for growers in both urban and rural settings, and hosts one of the largest black farmer conferences nationally held each year.
Ebony magazine voted her one of their 100 most influential African Americans in the country and she was also the recipient of the 2014 James Beard Leadership Award. In January 2015 she started farming with her close friends on three acres of land. The name of the farm is Rise&Root Farm.
Professionally Karen had been a Physical Therapist for 37years, balancing her professional life with community service. Since retiring in April, she plans on pursuing her passion for farming full time.
| WOMEN IN COOPERATION |
| WOMEN IN COOPERATION |
Wall of Love
Highlight from Last Year’s Celebration
Gabrielle Davis
It’s hard to choose just one person to uplift! I’d like to take this opportunity to uplift any Black woman that has welcomed me to the world of co-ops. I’m new to the space and everyday I get to learn something new and reach out to ask for help without the fear of rejection. I love it here!.
Sonya
Greetings, Diverse Women in Cooperation! Women’s History Month is a perfect time to reflect on creativity and celebrate women’s creative power. What amazing ideas in projects want to come through you this year? Now is our time to give life to our passion projects and write women’s history of the future!
Malane Shani
I would like to celebrate Amber Shani she is a young woman that is doing extraordinary things in the community to empower other young women through coaching, art and creativity.
See More
Be a Part of the Celebration
Inviting women and those who identify as women and others who wish to participate to shout out or lift up women working in the cooperative space or working collaboratively in all industries for positive social impact.
Participate
| WOMEN IN COOPERATION |
| WOMEN IN COOPERATION |
About the Founder
A passionate cooperative advocate and coopreneur, with 18 years collective experience as a cooperative leader, educator, developer, and consultant.
A 25 year veteran media activist and producer on WRFG radio Atlanta 89.3FM
Founder of Global Co-op Media and Co-op Nation Network: amplifying cooperative stories and best practices through media.
President of Digico Global Business Solutions: leveraging digital transformation and media to support cooperatives, women, and BIPOC entrepreneurs.
Chief Celebration Officer of Women In Cooperation, a movement of mentoring, coaching, care and celebrating of women in the cooperative movement.
Co-Executive Director, Georgia Cooperative Development Center.
About Women in Cooperation
Women In Cooperation is a coop coaching and consulting firm and media platform dedicated to celebrating, mentoring, and uplifting women in the cooperative movement.
Through storytelling, advocacy, and collaboration, it highlights the contributions of women working collectively for social and economic change.
Women In Cooperation produces signature content like the Herstory in Black and Diverse Unity podcast series, featuring trailblazing women in cooperation, past and present.
It also provides consulting, coaching and mentoring services and care services to support women in cooperative leadership and enterprise development.
