this is ecco
Creating opportunity on the north shore
ECCO is a multifaith network of 59 congregations and the North Shore Labor Council that works to create a world where everyone belongs, where we all can thrive, and where we all have a say in the decisions that shape our lives.
ECCO brings people together across lines of difference to build people-power, provide moral clarity, and change policies to address root causes of injustice in our midst.
Operating Principles
ECCO has a radical commitment to the following six operating principles.
1. All people can think and act for themselves. We work to create spaces and mechanisms that allow people to exercise their innate rationality and creativity.
2. Those closest to the pain should lead the work. The leadership of the oppressed is necessary for a just society because it produces life-giving solutions to injustice and public policies that are in the interest of those who suffer.
3. Race is a diagnostic tool. Since people of color experience the political and economic toxicities of our society first, race can be used as an indicator of failed policies that need radical transformation.
4. It is in our interest to work together towards justice because our lives are interdependent. Our own healing and liberation are dependent on the healing and liberation of all people.
5. Our power and liberation are unleashed in community – The lesson of our sacred texts and the history of social movements in the U.S. and throughout the world demonstrate that lasting transformative change occurs when we work collectively in community.
6. Democratic participatory decision-making produces innovation and creates ownership – It is worth our time and energy to invest in democratic decision-making. When we make decisions together, we think more creatively and are more invested in carrying out the plans we have made.
Our Structure
ECCO runs through an interconnected structure that centers the voices of directly affected leaders in our decision-making.
Our staff train and organize local leaders to lead congregational and regional teams that build people power, choose issue campaigns within ECCO’s campaign priorities, and work together to wage powerful campaigns to change policy.
The ECCO Board, which is made of leaders from congregations across ECCO and is majority people-of-color, ensures that ECCO lives out its values, raises the funds needed to operate, and is financially responsible and stable.
Our people-of-color-led Core Strategy Team leads the work of developing ECCO-wide campaign priorities, working closely with our People of Color Caucus to understand the needs of ECCO’s BIPOC communities. Then, the Core Strategy Team works with the People of Color Caucus to propose campaign priorities, which the wider ECCO community discusses and votes on.
Our People of Color Caucus and White Caucus each work to learn about we can confront racism in our midst and heal from the wounds it inflicts, so that we are able to work together effectively across our lines of difference.
Our work contributes to the statewide impact of the Massachusetts Communities Action Network and stands in solidarity with our six sister MCAN affiliates. Nationally we are proud to partner with Faith In Action.