Convening, Recruiting, and Connecting People Who Repair Local Economies
Leroy Barber Executive Director On the day in which we celebrate the work of Dr. King, I began to realize how dangerous it is to dig into what got him assassinated. It wasn’t the wonderful “I have a dream” speech in Washington. It was the push on living wages, the audacity to work for an […]
Leroy Barber, Executive Director I think my life may have been built around cooperative economic activity on just about every level. This way of life led to flourishing based on everyone having a voice and ownership. I don’t believe my mom would have been able to raise us alone without our community and a place […]
I happened to be in a conversation this past week, and someone said this sentence: “He grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.” It has stuck with me. It has made me wonder what the wrong side of the tracks refers to and what are the conditions on this “wrong side?” Is it […]
I have had the incredible opportunity of many people investing in me and the work I do for close to 35 years now, and it has allowed me to dream, imagine, create, and start many projects and businesses over the years. It has also built confidence in me to keep risking and creating, even though […]
I will be the first to admit that my belief in a better world and systems that work for all people may be a little more hopeful than what is visible in our current condition. If I go down the rabbit hole of what is happening systematically, then my cynical self is called to the […]
These past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to travel the roads of Texas to listen, learn, and visit organizations and possible partners in our work of convening and supporting the process of getting resources to places they haven’t gone historically. I have driven about 2,000 miles and still haven’t seen a giant portion […]
The fall has brought on a busy travel season, and that’s because our work in Neighborhood Economics depends on connections with local communities and good relationships with partners. Resources can’t hit the ground in local neighborhoods unless we build together. The excitement of this work is being able to see and learn as we move […]
I recently visited San Antonio and had the honor of meeting community leaders and pastors doing some wonderful work in the city. I am thrilled to get to know so many people as we prepare for our convening there in February. One of the groups I had the chance to connect with was a few […]
There are many things that need to connect over time for a neighborhood economy to emerge, and it takes a connected community committed over time to see it come into view. This week, I want to emphasize a different factor in the work. We were a part of a committed community of faith that wasn’t […]
This past week, my wife Donna and I were able to go back to Atlanta where we spent seventeen years of our lives. Our grandchild lives there, it’s where our oldest children were raised, and where our two oldest sons and daughter-in-law still live and work. Did I mention our grandchild lives there? Tuesday morning, I […]