Spotlight: Jessica Gordon-Nembhard

Insights on Black cooperative traditions and economic democracy

Jessica Gordon Nembhard is a leading scholar and advocate of cooperative economics whose work has shaped how we understand the role of cooperatives in building equitable, democratic, and resilient communities. Across these Everything Co-op episodes, she brings deep historical insight, rigorous analysis, and practical perspective on Black cooperative traditions, economic democracy, and collective ownership. This collection highlights her contributions to ongoing conversations about cooperation as both an economic model and a movement for social transformation.

Aired Episodes

Collective Courage

A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice

Jessica Gordon Nembhard

First published in 2014, Jessica Gordon Nembhard’s Collective Courage quickly became an important tool for understanding the history of cooperative economic enterprises in the African American community. This now-classic work recounts how African Americans benefited greatly from cooperative ownership and democratic economic participation throughout the nation’s history.