Tune into WOL 1450 AM, 95.9 FM or the WOL Livestream on March 6 at 10:30 a.m. EST for Everything Co-op, hosted by Vernon Oakes. This week, Everything Co-op launches its Women’s History Month series.
This year’s theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations,” celebrating women leaders in education and mentorship.
The series’ inaugural episode will feature cooperative advocates Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard, professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development at John Jay College; and Ahzjah-Netjer Simons, co-executive director of the Georgia Cooperative Development Center. Vernon and his guests will discuss their podcast experiences of introducing listeners to Black women cooperators, insights gained from the interviews, and their future plans.
Author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice (2014) and 2016 inductee into the U.S. Cooperative Hall of Fame, Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard is a professor at John Jay College, City University of New York (CUNY). She is a political economist specializing in cooperative economics, community economic development, racial wealth inequality, and Black Political Economy. She is a member of NCBA CLUSA’s Cooperative Economics Council; the International Cooperative Alliance’s Committee on Cooperative Research; an affiliate scholar with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan; and a past board member of the Association of Cooperative Educators.
Ahzjah-Netjer Simons is a transformative leader committed to empowering cooperative businesses and communities through education, strategy, and innovation. She holds key roles such as co-executive director of the Georgia Cooperative Development Center, P6 Ambassador for NCBA CLUSA, and president of Digico Global. With 25 years in media activism and 18 years as a cooperative leader, Simons has earned the CCMA Cooperative Service Award. She founded International Co-op Media and launched Co-op Nation to illuminate the cooperative movement and its impact. Additionally, she co-created Women In Cooperation, a pass the mic podcast, digital magazine, and community dedicated to uplifting and amplifying women in the cooperative space.