"Community" can mean a lot of different things. Yesterday, two of those meanings became clearer to me. I met with a colleague to talk over plans for a group we're both part of. We are promoting democracy in the workplace through co-ops, and to get there, we need to do a lot of educating. People in the U.S. don't know much about co-ops, but co-ops definitely help form community among workers, and they provide structures for making decisions communally.
We were at the public library waiting for the rest of our group, and another group wanted to use the same room. (The rules say that until a third person shows up, we can't reserve the space as ours). The other group was Moms Against Gun Violence. "Community" for them is all about safe streets, and coming just one week after the horrific violence in Charlottesville, it is a very sensitive topic for them.
While waiting, we began to talk about our respective missions. They asked us how co-ops would help deter violence in the streets. We took the opportunity to explain how having a stake in a community of workers would give a young person a meaningful voice and power they don't have by other means. They got an opportunity to present us with a voter initiative for us to sign that will be on the next statewide ballot.
Economic power is real power. We like to think we live in a democracy, but if our institutions have been bought and paid for by capitalists who don't share power with those who create it for them, the institutions break down and stop working for the well-being of all of us. Co-ops reorganize the power and put it back into collective hands where it belongs. The members have freedom to make healthy choices together. And yes, safe streets are a possible outcome. Meanwhile, I'm grateful that libraries are still great places for building community.
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