In 2017, a book club for “Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice” at Nexus Community Partners birthed the idea of the North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship. Jessica Gordon Nembhard’s publication moved Nexus’ staff Danielle Mkali and consultant LaDonna Sanders Redmond to launch a fellowship structure that would provide space for Black people to be immersed in reclaiming and reframing ownership and holistic wealth-building rooted cooperatively. The program challenges fellows’ understanding of capitalism and supports them in growing their cooperative ideas.
Taking part of its title from both the nickname for Minnesota and recognition of the North Star as a guiding light for liberation for enslaved Africans, the North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship has graduated over 100 alumni to date as it enters its eighth cohort this fall.
“Often, you can turn on the news and feel demoralized by the state of the world, but with North Star, I get inspired and moved every day because I see what is possible. Every day, I am reminded of what Black brilliance and genius give [to this world]. I am really inspired by everyone that has come through the cohorts.”
Nonkululeko Shongwe, who also goes by Nkuli, inherited the fellowship from Danielle in her care after the fourth year of the program. Nkuli is now the Director of Community Wealth Building at Nexus, which of several community wealth-building initiatives, including stewarding the North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship.
For Nkuli, her facilitation of the program has, in many ways, turned her into a student of cooperation. “[The Fellowship] is a reminder of what is possible and what we can build for our future, elders, and ourselves. [We] get back to [cooperation] based on what we know versus what we’re told we’re supposed to know. It also inspired me to join a coop – an investment cooperative based in Saint Paul essentially working to hold commercial spaces for artists,” explained Nkuli.
A cooperative is defined as a democratically controlled business jointly owned by an association of people that share common economic and social aspirations, and the shared ownership of the business or enterprise is a means to achieving those aspirations. Many forms of cooperatives exist; some examples you may have heard of are housing, grocery stores, restaurants, co-working spaces, and shopping centers- the kinds of businesses that can be run in the shared ownership way aren’t meager.
Nkuli co-runs the North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship with its Program Manager, Leanna Browne, who joined the Nexus team in 2022. Browne was drawn to the fellowship because cooperation is familiar in other facets of her life.
She explains, “I was drawn to the space because I see how we cooperate in my family and in artistic communities [I’m a part of], particularly dance. I was excited to be in a space with other Black folks, learning alongside them and getting to dig into the history of Black cooperative economic thought and practice and reclaim those connections a lot of folks as we go through the cohort recognize.”
Leanna and Nkuli support each other in leadership of the fellowship that spans seven months.
Orientation day involves food, headshots, group photos, and reading materials for the program’s duration, including Nembhard’s “Collective Courage,” the fellowship’s seminal text.
During the winter months between October and May, the fellowship dives into the history of local and national Black cooperative economics. This includes learning about rethinking capitalism, solidarity economies, Black feminist history, and cooperative principles that include values of Black heritage.
As the temperature warms up outside, there’s a shift. “We switch in the spring to talk about the technical aspects of building a cooperative- governance, bylaws, and how to set up a cooperative,” Nkuli said.
She added, “One of the most important topics for the fellowship that we cover is conflict and conflict resolution. Cooperating and collectivism are about working with people. We all have our own tensions and conflicts, and we also have to deal with tensions and conflicts in the world. Learning how to navigate those conflicts when working with people is an important piece of cooperative work. Danielle, LaDonna, and incredible facilitators have built the curriculum with wisdom over time.”
In reflecting on the various cooperative ideas the North Star Fellowship has attracted and encouraged, cooperatives and collectives in housing, investment, broadband, grocery, and disability justice came up for both Leanna and Nkuli. However, they stressed that there are too many favorite cooperative ideas across the program’s history.
The application to join the next cohort of the hybrid fellowship closes on Sunday, September 8. When asked who should apply and what to keep in mind, Leanna said, “North Star is open to any field or sector and groups of two or more, with most of the folks having decision-making power being Black. North Star is a Black-centered space, but folks who are not Black can be in North Star. We want it to be Black-led efforts that we are supporting.”
Leanna added, “I would encourage people to reimagine- what kind of world are we trying to build? How do we get there? Part of it is this education piece and being willing to imagine something different. I think North Star allows for that to happen. Even [if you are] a little bit interested, consider it. Apply.”
Nkuli shared that the program is for people 18 and up to emphasize the intergenerational nature of the fellowship. “It’s so important to have youth voices in this work. The youth are the next generation to move this work forward. It’s an intergenerational space; all age ranges are welcome. We love our elders; we love continuing to learn with and from them.”
The pillars of the North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship are housed within the overarching mission, values, and reparative framework of Nexus Community Partners. To learn more about the fellowship and similar initiatives at Nexus, visit nexuscp.org/2024-25-north-star-applications-open-aug-12/.