As we work to build intentionally inclusive economies through the cooperative business model, it’s essential to focus on who has been excluded from leading the movement. LGBTQIA+ cooperators have always been crucial pillars of the cooperative movement, even when their contributions have gone unrecognized. Their ongoing fight for social and economic justice within the cooperative movement and broader community must be honored and highlighted.
During this webinar, we ask What does meaningful inclusion look like? How can we learn from our failures (especially complicit inaction) in the past to avoid repetition in the future? What can co-ops do to combat the lingering exclusion of LGBTQIA+ folks within our communities? Which leaders should we pay attention to and how can we support them? In the face of reanimated polarization, let’s commit not only to asking these questions, but also to acting on them.
Moderated by Angela Russell, Chief Diversity Officer at CUNA Mutual Group, this conversation features Zachary Christensen, CUDE, Co-founder of CU Pride; Gabrielle Davis, Racial Equity and Food Justice Manager at National Co+op Grocers; and Camy Seitz-Cherner, Co-founder of the Redwood Learning Collective. Our panelists discuss their own experiences as cooperators, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for intentional inclusion, particularly in cooperative leadership and governance.