"transformation of community activism into economic activism"
Amy Hamilton
The transformation of community activism into economic activism and the revival of cooperatives in the U.S.
http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/the-transformation-of-community-activism-into-economic-activism-and-the-revival-of-cooperatives-in-the-u-s/2010/04/29
“Worker cooperatives, food stores and housing co-ops are a tiny sector of the America economy, but community activists are beginning to recognize their importance. As activists across the country move beyond a resistance strategy with essentially minor victories, to proposals for positive, long-lasting economic change, cooperatives increasingly become an option to investigate. Co-ops have a track record of providing a solid economic base to under-served communities.
Historically, cooperative ventures have arisen from the efforts of ordinary people during previous economic slumps. In the Depression, hundreds of self-help groups formed in California (and across the country) that used barter and time exchanges of labor to create an economy without money. The network created by these groups formed the basis for Upton Sinclair’s gubernatorial campaign in 1934.