From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, Dr. King and other movement leaders organized people to withdraw their labor, their money, and their participation from systems built on exploitation.

Our Program Director, Bianca, and BCI Network Member, The 51st, spoke on panels at the 2025 Cooperative Impact Conference earlier this month. Each shared about how our region’s solidarity economy has national implications.

It's time for another social hour! This is an informal space to build relationships with fellow organizers in the solidarity economy, in hopes of linking our communities and projects together. All are welcome! Join us at Hi-Lawn DC Nov. 6th from 6-9pm!

We’re hiring a Program Manager to help us launch a Guaranteed Income Program that supports working-class families. We’d love to hear from you. We encourage BIPOC, LGBTQ+, working-class, and disabled folks to apply. www.belovedcommunityincubator.org/updates/buil...

🛌✨ Rest is resistance. We believe that caring for ourselves & our people is essential to the long haul. That’s why our staff will be offline for the month of August to prioritize rest, reflection, & restoration. We’ll be back in September. Until then, take care of yourselves & each other.

✨ Big news! @Sankofadc is now a worker-owned cooperative 🎉 Join us in celebrating this milestone + welcoming them to the BCI community! 🖤 We'll talk about how Sankofa transitioned into a cooperative and how you can too! RSVP www.eventbrite.com/e/1396643812... 📅 **July 12** 🕕 **6–9PM** 📍 **Sankofa**

You're invited to Community Pitch Night! Hear from participants in BCI’s Co-op Incubation Program & learn about emerging co-ops. That pastry in the photo? 🍰👀 Just a tasty sneak peek of one of the co-ops you’ll meet. July 22nd, 7pm, at the Festival Center. Free to attend! RSVP at the link in bio.

Are you signed up for the Regional Solidarity Economy Round up? Every season we send out an email filled with updates on local cooperatives + collectives, non-extractive funding, & highlights from our & our partners’ work! Sign up:

Wayne & Ma Theresa are the first vendors in the city to receive a Microenterprise Home Kitchen permit! BCI supported them with the license application process & they were able to buy a food cart with a loan from the BCI License Fund. Visit them at their new vending site near Alethia Tanner Park!

A study using government data finds that if all businesses became 30% employee-owned, the bottom 90% would experience significant gains in wealth, with much of the benefits going to marginalized groups. If we're serious about addressing wealth inequality, worker ownership must be at the forefront.

UPDATE: Location change We're looking forward to our next Solidarity Economy Social Hour next week at *Metrobar DC* May 15th. Whether you’re a worker-owner/co-op member, union member, organizer, mutual aid-er, or just curious about what’s going on with the solidarity economy in DC, join us!

Shout out to our local worker-led news outlet @51st.news!

Today we honor the legacy of workers who stood up, spoke out, and organized for dignity, safety, and justice on the job. Co-ops aren’t just businesses - they’re acts of resistance and visions of what’s possible. Today, we recommit to growing a future where work is just, shared, and values driven.

Worker-owned cooperatives put people and planet over profit. When workers have a real stake in the businesses they run, sustainability becomes a shared priority—not an afterthought. This Earth Day, we're celebrating the co-ops creating a better world by design. 💪🏾 🌱 💚

Our next Solidarity Economy Social Hour is May 15th from 6-9pm at @kaloramamarket! Whether you’re a worker-owner/co-op member, union member, organizer, mutual aid-er, or just curious about what’s going on with the solidarity economy in DC, join us! The social hour is free, RSVP with the QR code.

Looking for more #SolidarityEconomy accounts to follow? We’re a proud member of The New Economy Coalition (@us-neweconomy.bsky.social), a US-based network of 150+ solidarity economy organizations!

Looking for ways to get engaged in D.C.? Our weekly Civics Roundup compiles events across D.C., from pop-ups to protests to webinars to public meetings. Find what calls to you!

A democratic society necessitates public and democratic ownership and control over food, transportation, healthcare, water, housing, energy, communication, education, and all of the social institutions we collectively rely on to live with dignity, freedom, and shared prosperity.

We're excited to announce that Kristen is joining us as Director of Membership and Outreach. Kristen is deeply rooted in local DC community organizing efforts. Outside of work, she enjoys the outdoors, playing games, crafting, sports, and reading.

Dupont Coffee Collective, DC’s newest employee-owned and operated coffeeshop + bakery, is open! Stop by and support local workers! Dupont Coffee is open Monday - Saturday 7am-6pm, Sunday 7am-3pm!

Our mini-incubation cohort is HERE! 👥 Who should join? ✔️ Teams of 3+ exploring co-ops ✔️ Owners transitioning to employee ownership ✨ What you’ll get: ✔️ 1:1 coaching ✔️ Financial & business planning ✔️ Funding & management guidance Limited to 8 groups—apply now!

@swamprosecoop, with the support of a loan from BCI's DC SELF (DC Solidarity Economy Loan Fund), bought their first truck and hired 2 new worker owners full time! We’re thrilled that this BCI Network member, which does such important work to sustain/increase native plant presence, continues to grow!

We're excited to announce that Celeste is joining us as Director of Operations. Celeste is a DC-born, Silver Spring-raised community organizer committed to racial, economic, and gender justice. Outside of work, they enjoy cooking, trivia, and live music.

Join us for COOPS 101 - a 2 hour webinar on the basics of COOPs: what are they, how they benefit workers and community, and details about how you can build a cooperatively owned business. Our first webinar is February 26th from 7-9pm EST. Register with the link in our bio.

Our next Solidarity Economy Social Hour is February 23rd from 1-4pm at @wundergartendc! Whether you’re a worker-owner/co-op member, union member, organizer, mutual aid-er, or just curious about what’s going on with the solidarity economy in DC, join us! The social hour is free, find RSVP in our bio.

As we like to say, the regional #solidarityeconomy is already here and it's our job to highlight, strengthen, and cultivate it – and now you can too, with our New Economy totes! Link to order is in our bio. #ANewEconomy #GraceLeeBoggs

Support your local food co-ops. These community-owned businesses provide affordable and healthy food, often in areas experiencing food deserts. Surpluses are reinvested to lower costs through customer discounts. Co-ops are democratic: members can vote on business policies and elect board members! 🍎🛒

“I don't operate out of fear. I try to focus on listening more, how the work could change, and trying to figure out what kind of other layers we need to add within our work.” - Fariha, MSMA core organizer, in @teenvogue.bsky.social. Read the article: www.teenvogue.com/story/trump-...

How are arts and culture groups who are fed up with the current system of extraction building Solidarity Economy models in the United States? And why does this matter in 2025? Meet the Art.coop "Remember the Future" Fellows this Thursday from 2 - 3:30 PM ET. Register: zoom.us/meeting/regi...

When workers earn a living wage, they can lead a life free from constant struggle. The increase in purchasing power boosts business revenues, enabling companies to expand and hire more people to participate in the economy. This creates a positive cycle of growth that raises living standards for all.

Hey Bluesky! We're a #solidarityeconomy movement organization, co-op incubator, and solidarity lender in the DMV (DC, MD, VA). We're new to this platform and would love your suggestions for #Cooperatives #MutualAid and #SolidarityEconomy orgs to follow! #peopleoverprofit #anticapitalism #democracy

Shit is fucked, but we are here for you. ☎️ If you see ICE activity in the DC area or know someone detained by them, call our emergency hotline: (202) 335-1183. Or one of the other emergency hotlines in the area. 🧵

Esta mierda está jodida, pero estamos aquí para ustedes. ☎️Si usted ve a ICE/La Migra en DC o conoce de alguien detenido por la agencia, llame a nuestra línea directa: (202) 335-1183. O cualquiera de las otras líneas directas. 🧵