On June 13, 2024, during the live Broadcast from the National Conference on Black Cooperative Agenda titled “Economic Wealth: Power of Black Cooperative Enterprises,” hosted by the Network for Developing Conscious Communities, Vernon Oakes interviews Mayor Melvin Carter, Christina Nicholson and Jessica James.
The conference was a continuation of the legacy work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In a recent interview on Everything Co-op Ron Hantz, president of NDCC states, “We take no credit for the title of the conference. Actually it was initiated by the Poor Peoples Deveopment Foundation (PPDF) which came about in 1968 during Dr. King’s efforts to bring attention to the poverty of Black and poor folks in the Country. It was an organization started by Cornielus “Cornbread” Givens and Bayard Rustin to bring about education about cooperatives in communities that were needing economic opportunities, as well as bringing food to those communities as well.”
Ironically, the mission of the foundation was to create cooperatives. In fact, the PPDF was instrumental in moving the National Consumer Cooperative Bank Act in 1978, which led to the creation the National Consumer Cooperative Bank, today known as the National Cooperative Bank (NCB). The act aimed to encourage the development of new and existing cooperatives. The Network for Developing Conscious Communities is honored to carry on its legacy, especially in addressing concerns related to poverty, affordability, and access to healthy food.
Melvin Carter is the 46th mayor of the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota’s Capital City. A fourth-generation Saint Paul resident, Mayor Carter leads with an unapologetic equity agenda. Since taking office in 2018, his accomplishments include raising the city’s minimum wage; tripling free program in rec centers; eliminating late fines in public libraries; reestablishing an Affordable Housing Trust Fund; expanding immigrant & refugee support resources; and launching an Office of Financial Empowerment. One signature initiative is CollegeBound Saint Paul, Mayor Carter’s plan to start every child born in the city with a $50 College Savings Account, which started January 1, 2020.
Jessica James is Assistant VP of Community Reinvestment and Loan Advisor at Associated Bank; Jessica thrives on cultivating partnerships and addressing strategic financing needs. Additionally, she holds leadership positions in various organizations, including board roles at Network for Developing Conscious Communities (NDCC), NAREB TC, City of Lakes Community Land Trust and Rondo Community Land Trust, where she champions affordable homeownership and economic development initiatives.
Christina Nicholson is a Cooperative Finance Developer for the Worker Owner Initiative, which is part of Nexus’ Community Wealth Building Strategy. In this role she supports both start-ups and existing businesses and understands the role that Worker Ownership can play in successful owner retirement strategies as well as improved workplace cultures for teams. She has been working in cooperatives in Minnesota for 25 years in a wide range of roles, from front of house retail to construction to cooperative consulting. In all of her endeavors, she has been working to connect communities to each other through a common cause.
