Seward Community Co-op joins cooperatives across the United States this October in celebrating National Co-op Month! The overarching goal of the cooperative movement is to create a cooperative economy comprised of businesses that exist to serve the needs of the people who use them. As a cooperative community, we aspire not only to serve owners’ mutual needs, but also to demonstrate that it is possible to cultivate a healthier and more equitable society. This years’ National Co-op Month theme is “Co-ops Commit: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity.”
Seward Co-op has an exciting month of activities planned for October. Seward Co-op’s diversity, equity and inclusion journey began seven years ago when we announced our intention to build the Friendship store in the Bryant neighborhood, a historically Black community. One way our co-op has continued to demonstrate a commitment to equity and inclusion is by inviting community members into conversations around equity and the food system at our annual meetings. These conversations are just one way of understanding how our community-owned cooperative can become anti-racist.
We invite community members, co-op owners, and staff to join us in celebration of our cooperative identity, build on our equity foundation, and begin to discuss what liberation looks like in community and how Seward Co-op and its owners can play a role.
Cooperation and community action can take many shapes. Seward Co-op owners and customers are invited to select four of twelve 2021 SEED recipients. The SEED program raises over $250,000 annually for local non-profits. There are eight organization to choose from, all of which will receive a $1,000 grant through the Seward Community Fund, whether or not they are ultimately selected as a SEED recipient. Vote for your organizations of choice from Oct. 1—14.
Join us on Zoom Tuesday, Oct. 27 for the Annual Co-op Owner Meeting, 6–8 p.m. The 2020 annual meeting will feature Resmaa Menakem, the New York Times bestselling author and leading voice in today’s national conversation on racialized trauma. Resmaa will join local activists in guiding a discussion around the co-op’s role in the movement for abolition, racial justice and liberation in our communities. Our lens will be focused on the centuries-old cooperative and abolition movements.