BUILDING A BELOVED ECONOMY

Fund Peace, Not Force, Lynn City Hall

Why a beloved economy?

In a time of obscene concentration of wealth and power in the hands of fewer and fewer people, we believe that we must work toward radical democratic ownership of our local economy and local government.  We believe that if our diverse congregations pull together our economic and social resources, we have the capacity to build wealth for Black and Latinx communities and create a more democratic and environmentally-sustainable society for us all.  Drawing on the ideas of solidarity economy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a Beloved Community rooted in love and justice, we have called this vision the “Beloved Economy.” 

ECCO’s people-of-color-led Core Strategy Team crafted our Beloved Economy Agenda, and the full ECCO community ratified it at the 2020. Our agenda is a broad vision for racial and economic justice that will guide our work over the coming years.

Our Values

    1. - In a beloved 4conomy… Funds are reallocated from policing, incarceration and other institutions that use violent force, and toward restorative justice, social services, and other programs that promote community wellbeing, safety and peace. Click here to know our work on Criminal Justice Reform and unarmed crisis response.

  • In a beloved economy… Community members have access to information and are able to exercise power in decision-making at every level of government and in shaping the community and economy. Click here to know our work on immigrant rights.

  • Description text goes hereIn a beloved economy… Leadership positions and public departments are diverse and representative of the communities they serve.

    1. In a beloved economy… Community members invest in, and government budgets prioritize, economic development projects that build self-determination and power for poor people and people of color. Click here to know our work for Economic Justice, affordable housing, and our support of the Shine Together immigrant-women-owned cleaning cooperative.

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“When I first joined I Have A Future (IHAF), I was about 15 years old. The main issue with being 15 and in a pandemic was that no one was hiring youth, because of COVID-19 and the fact that the starting age to work was 16. This discouraged me from looking for a job, because I was getting denied every time because of the lack of work experience. I was close to giving up, however, I needed to make money. During the pandemic, IHAF was doing online sessions and I was able to acquire and build skills that I would not have had until 16 and they were paying above minimum wage which helped me during the time.” 

Edgardo Perlera, Youth Organizing Employment Leader, I Have A Future