Our Community Exchange Series is an ongoing conversation between EB PREC and other BIPOC leaders who are working to reject capitalism, as we brace ourselves for the looming COVID-era recession. On our last Community Exchange Call, our guest speaker Nwamaka Agbo noted that we often jump too quickly ahead to discuss the economy without first unlearning the habits and practices of structural racism. One of these habits that we must unlearn is the practice of starting from a place that fails to acknowledge that indigenous communities have been impacted by genocide and land removal, and Black communities have been impacted by enslavement. 

WHAT IS RESTORATIVE ECONOMICS? Nwamaka explains that restorative economics is very much rooted in reparations. It’s also very much rooted in a framework of restorative justice where we understand the need to acknowledge the harm that has been done to Black and Indigenous communities of color. We need to engage in a conversation about how to restore those communities and make them whole because without doing that, we continue to replicate patterns of structural racism.

HOW DO WE BUILD POWER? While our work is about the structural and cultural shifts that need to happen, Nwamaka argues that our work also starts with the individual and interpersonal level. That’s why it’s important that we at EB PREC are creating spaces for people to come together to explore, experiment, and understand what it means to engage in land and capital in a regenerative and supportive way, rather than an extractive and exploitative way.

To learn more about restorative economic models, check out the recording of our fireside chat with Nwamaka here. Also check out the recordings of our calls with Majora Carter on Black land liberation and Zach Murray on Black indigeneity and healing. 

Got lunch plans today?

TODAY! | Sept 15th | 12:00PM PDT | Have you been meaning to catch one of our orientations to learn about our unique model? Today's the day! Join us at lunch time to meet our staff and get all of your questions answered. RSVP here.

We're hiring!

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR | This position's main purpose is to communicate EB PREC’s vision and work to our community and to the broader public. You’ll help plan and implement our overall messaging strategy by designing, writing, and publishing or sending out blog posts, newsletters, campaign emails, social media posts, press releases, and other promotional materials. You’ll coordinate with other staff members to facilitate ongoing member and donor communications, as well as support our fundraising and investment campaigns with your great writing skills. You’ll also build  and maintain relationships with the press, other media outlets, and partner organizations to spread the word about EB PREC and position us as a major player within the larger coop and housing justice movement. Apply here.

Good Reads (and videos, and podcasts, and more!)

Act Now | The CA Legislature passed SB 1079! Homes for Communities, Not Corporations | SB 1079 was inspired by the Moms 4 Housing Direct Action in Oakland. We sent an SB 1079 letter of support last month and it passed! Now we just need the Governor to sign the bill. 

Video | USFWC and Democracy at Work Institute | Worker Co-op Conference Keynote by Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis | The Worker Co-op Conference is the nation’s largest convening of worker-owners. Check out the recording of the welcoming remarks and keynote speech here!

12-Minute Listen  | NPR | Managing Wildfire Through Cultural Burning | Indigenous tribes held controlled burns that helped manage wildfires by clearing out underbrush and encouraging new plant growth. “It's a tradition that disappeared with the arrival of Western settlers.”