The history of the cooperative movement is deeply tied to the Black and African American community. Before our society became capitalistic, cooperation and cooperative economics offered a system within which people could live and work successfully, driving change within communities through shared participation and a shared investment in outcomes. Throughout history, cooperative economics have provided opportunities for marginalized individuals to find pathways to equity.

Ray Williams (he/him), the General Manager of Seward Community Co-op, keeps cooperation top of mind and knows its longstanding role in Black History in the U.S. “The systems in which Americans operate were not created for Black people, so they have had to go about things differently to get what they need….cooperation was centered in my ancestors journey via the Underground Railroad.”

One year into his role as Seward Co-op General Manager, Ray is wasting no time. He thinks about how cooperatives can be used to make positive impacts within Black communities, especially considering their recognition within those communities as economic and social structures with a documented history of success. Historic Black cooperators in the Twin Cities, from Moe Burton, founder of Bryant-Central Co-op, to Annie Young, founder of a buying club in South Dakota and past board President, to LaDonna Sanders-Redmond, another past board President who led the organizing efforts in opening the Friendship store, are examples especially of how the cooperative movement creates food access, something Ray holds as one of his most important goals. During his time at Seward Co-op, Ray strives for the co-op, and the cooperative movement, to offer healthy food access for all, center communities of color, increase diversity and inclusion in the cooperative world, and raise awareness of cooperative economics.

“I have two degrees in business, and don’t recall a single mention of cooperative economics in my education,” Ray says. “Seward opened the door.”

Ray came to Seward Co-op in 2015, just before the opening of the Friendship store. “I had worked in a corporate setting and was being mentored for executive leadership, but I decided to do something different. Seward’s commitment to making a positive impact in the community along with their dedication to equity, diversity, and inclusion work was what brought me to the co-op. I wanted to see the value of the work I was doing.”

Ray sees an essential connection between sustainable communities and cooperative business models. “Cooperation forces community,” Ray says. And it’s particularly true for food. “The two things we come together over are food and music,” Ray explains. “Food is the core, the one thing everyone has to touch in their lives.” As common ground—even if different people eat different things—food is something to cooperate for. Building sustainable communities starts with cooperation.

“Cooperation is all about working together, alongside one another for a common goal, and aligned vision, using everything we have to bring our goals to a common fruition,” says Ray. Centering this idea during Black History Month, and year-round, is critical to telling the story and driving the future of equity.