Throughout history, when people’s needs go unmet by dominant economic forces, they turn to co-operative enterprise to discover a better way. Cathy Statz, Joe Guinan, Jessica Gordon Nembhard and Doug Genens address how co-ops remedy problems caused by wealth concentration, as echoes from the past resonate today.

The Speakers:

Cathy Statz, Co-operative Educator and Outreach Specialist. Cathy provides education and outreach on the co-op business model for a number of local to international organizations, including the National Cooperative Business Association and the International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary's University.

Joe Guinan, President of The Democracy Collaborative and author of numerous articles and books, including The Case for Community Wealth Building, and publisher of the weekly news summary Tracking the Crisis.

Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Political Economist, Professor and Author. She is Professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development in the Department of Africana Studies at City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Doug Genens, Oral Historian with the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Episode 1 of We Are the Ones looks at how people have discovered the power of cooperation as a means of doing business from the late 19th century to current times.

In post Civil War U.S., farmers and workers built powerful networks of co-operative enterprise that challenged concentration of corporate wealth. Cathy Statz, Joe Guinan, Jessica Gordon Nembhard and Doug Genens share information and stories that link that period in co-operative history with what is happening today.

Jessica Gordon Nembhard and Joe Guinan, president of The Democracy Collaborative, deflate myths that hold up individualism as a path to success.

Cathy Statz and Jessica Gordon Nembhard share important concepts and information to help listeners understand the economic and social significance of co-ops.

Doug Genens tells stories of co-operative organizing and the rise of the People’s Party in the U.S. during the late 19th century.

Jessica Gordon Nembhard tells the story of The Colored Farmers’ National Alliance and Co-operative Union.

Original music for the series, “Spring Fork Creek” and “Portent” by The Lonesome Companions, available on their 2026 release “One More Round”.

Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions: “Sudden Courier”-Eltham House, “Delving the Deep”-Sour Mash and “Lakal”-Speakeasy.

Resources:

https://www.democracycollaborative.org/

https://www.democracycollaborative.org/community-wealth-building

https://index.democracycollaborative.org/

https://www.democracycollaborative.org/tracking-the-crisis

https://rochdalepioneersmuseum.coop/about-us/about-the-pioneers/

Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice by Jessica Gordon Nembhard.
https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09750-3.html

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KOPN is sponsoring this program in partnership with the Missouri Humanities and with support from the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund.

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