Air Date: August 3, 2023
Cooperative Advocate

Minnie McMahon discusses the Impact of Community Land Trusts

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Vernon interviews Minnie McMahon, Coordinator of the Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network. Vernon and Minnie discuss the role community land trusts play in retaining collective control, strengthening diverse neighborhoods, creating permanent affordability in housing, and the history of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI).

Minnie McMahon is the Coordinator of the Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network, hosted by Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI). She started at DSNI in 2019, acting as the Project and Operations Manager at Dudley Neighbors, Inc., the community land trust. Before that, Minnie worked for small farms in Massachusetts, California and New York, growing flowers, developing systems, and advocating for workers’ rights. Shared governance and the role of power in social systems have been throughlines in Minnie’s work.

Our host, Vernon Oakes, is a consummate advocate for cooperatives. He is a Past President of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives, and he’s served on several boards and committees to advance the interests of cooperatives. Recently, he served on the Limited Equity Cooperative Task Force, established by Anita Bonds, At-Large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia. Vernon is an MBA graduate of Stanford University, who has used his business acumen to benefit the community, by promoting the added value of the cooperative business model.