Civil-rights Expert to Lead Workshop Today at Techspring

SPRINGFIELD — Jessica Gordon Nembhard, author of the groundbreaking book Collective Courage: A History of African-American Economic Thought and Practice, will facilitate an exploration of the rich history of African-American economic cooperation and its role in movements for black civil rights and economic equality today, April 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. at TechSpring, 1350 Main St., Springfield.

Nembhard is a political economist and professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development in the Africana Studies Department at John Jay College, City University of New York. She is also a member of the Grassroots Economic Organizing Collective, the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, the Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy, and the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network, and also serves on the leadership team of Organizing Neighborhood Equity DC. She was inducted into the Co-op Hall of Fame in 2016.

Workshop objectives include understanding the compelling case for using cooperatives in inclusive economic-development strategies; understanding how cooperatives address poverty and the marginalization of communities of color and immigrants; understanding how cooperatives can bridge divides in the common interest of creating good jobs that are rooted in the community; and understanding how cooperatives create opportunities for business ownership, wealth building, and democratic management.

The event is sponsored by Wellspring Cooperative Corp., Baystate Health and the Worker Cooperative Boot Camp Project. Parking will be validated.