Giving the Gift of Black Land Liberation 🎅🏿
Our Annual Report is here! | We're HIRING | Support Black to the Land
Our Annual Report has Arrived!
Happy holidays EB PREC family! We're incredibly excited to share our 2022/23 annual report with you as the year comes to an end. Putting together a document that encompasses all of the work our cooperative is doing to support land sovereignty was no easy feat! Inside, you'll find: a letter from our Executive Director, updates on our latest properties, an overview of our anti-displacement work, fun photos of our staff collective, and more!
We hope you enjoy reading what we've been up to over the last two years as much as we enjoyed putting this together for you.
Talk About a Celebration!
Over 70 members attended EB PREC's fifth annual Member meeting at 7th West earlier this month. Bylaw changes were discussed, food was served by auditioning co-operators for Esther's Orbit Room, members shared their EB PREC stories and took silly photos; joy was in the air!
Our staff collective was humbled witnessing how much our movement has grown since EB PREC's beginnings. We can't wait to show you what we have planned for the next five years. Thank you to everyone who attended (and if you're interested in attending our next one, consider becoming a member)!
Keep an eye out for a recap video coming next year!
Give the Gift of Black Land Liberation.
EB PREC is excited to highlight the Black to the Land movement, where Emerald Earth (a rural community project with nearly 200 acres of land) is being transferred to black-led stewardship.
The area known as Emerald Earth has been the ancestral homeland of small bands of Pomo people for over 10,000 years, many of whom continue to live in Mendocino County after settlers came and took the land in the late 19th century. Thirty years ago, a group of white, nature lovers and activists from the Bay Area bought the land and a community formed with a special focus on living close to nature and building with natural materials. Now their community is looking to pass on this gift, giving stewardship of the land and the nonprofit to people with historic barriers to land access.
The transition to black led stewardship has already begun and the first group of black folks are taking on the nonprofit management, moving onto the land, and slowly building a relationship with the Redwood, Oak, Madrone forest that is Emerald Earth.
We're calling on our members and supporters to please contribute to this Black to the Land project._ All proceeds from this opening fundraiser will go directly towards helping the current team to steward the land through the winter and prepare it for gatherings that will take place in the Spring and Summer of 2024. Click the button below to learn more about the project and donate.
Our Movement Needs YOU!
We're HIRING for TWO new staff members to join our collective. Check out the job descriptions below and share this within your network if you know someone who might be a good fit!. Both roles will be open until filled.
The Development & Grant Writing Associate’s main purpose is to support the ongoing writing, communications, reporting and administrative work of the Money and Communications Circles (departments). This support position plays a vital role in assisting with the high functioning and fast-paced workloads of the Money & Comms Circles. You’ll support our work to communicate our transformative vision to the Funder & Investor communities and the general public, as well as support our fundraising and investment campaigns with your excellent writing & editing skills. You’ll also support the efficient & smooth inner workings of our internal processes & infrastructure for Money and Comms, like our Funder relationship management, donor tracking, note-taking process, and email systems. View the full job description here.
The Real Estate & Finance Analyst will support our staff and membership by providing the financial & technical tools and know-how to analyze, finance, and acquire real estate assets within the EB PREC model. They will work closely with our Real Est
ate and Finance teams, as well as groups of EB PREC members working toward property acquisitions. In collaboration with other staff, they will help analyze and troubleshoot projects for financial feasibility, work through scenarios with stakeholders, develop project concepts and prepare projects for acquisition, conduct site visits and assess physical conditions, identify and acquire financing, engage with sellers and realtors in the acquisition process, and manage assets in our portfolio. They will also support the Executive team with organization-wide financial planning and fund management. View the full job description here.VIEW JOB OPENINGS
Board Nominations are OPEN!
Being an EB PREC Board member is a great way to serve our community and gain experience in the land sovereignty movement. The Board is responsible for high level review of the cooperative’s activities and making sure we're staying on mission. Open Board positions are:
- Governance Director -- All four owner types voting
- Finance Director -- All four owner types voting
- Community Director -- Community Owners voting
- Resident Director -- Resident Owners voting (interim, 1 year term)
Any member of any type may nominate themselves or someone else for any position. Each member may make multiple nominations. Nominees do not have to be members, but must be willing to become a member within 4 months of joining the Board. A nominee may accept nominations for and run for up to two positions.
We're also looking for members to help us organize the upcoming Board Election as part of our Joint Elections Committee. Click the button below to learn more joining our Board and/or the Joint Elections Committee!
Housing Opportunities
The following properties are _potential_ or in progress EB PREC acquisitions looking for new residents! Check out the openings below if you or someone you know is searching for housing and intentional community!
Galaxy Grove: 1 room available. Click here to learn more about this listing.Orchard House: Downstairs unit with 3 rooms. Click here to learn more about this listing.Co-op 789: Temporary room available. Click here to learn more about this listing.
Good Listening - 7th St Thrives
We'll close out this month's newsletter with a short report on how the 7th Street Thrives initiative is planning the reparation of West Oakland corridor on KALW. The EB PREC staff collective wishes you a very happy holidays and a peaceful new year. See you in 2024!
