MadWorC’s Regional Rendezvous brought together Midwesterners from Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, New Mexico, Minnesota, and of course, Wisconsin.
Diana Siegel-Garcia, our Shared Ownership Center Program Manager, attended and presented at the conference alongside a powerhouse crew: Kaaha Kahiye, public housing organizer with Defend Glendale, writer, and aspiring cooperator; Mayumi Park, illustrator and designer at Blackbird Revolt and housing comrade; and Dave Abbott, lead carpenter, employee owner, and vice president at Terra Firma Building and Remodeling.
“It was a small but mighty group of passionate, dedicated cooperators working across many different sectors—from taxi transportation to software development, education and advocacy to conflict resolution,” Diana said. “I left the conference inspired, energized, and equipped to better serve our local Twin Cities cooperatives.”
Diana’s presentation, Dispatch from the Twin Cities Cooperative Scene, focused on worker-owned cooperatives and real estate investment cooperatives in the Twin Cities seven-county metro.
“I created different Google Maps Directories [below] for attendees and anyone interested to learn more about all the different kinds of cooperatives and collectives operating in the metro. Often I’m asked for examples of cooperatives and where they are located, so these maps were made in hopes of answering those questions. Plus, it makes for an easy co-op tour of the metro for anyone interested in connecting with them!”
The conference ended with a call to action and declaration of solidarity to protect and defend our neighbors targeted and kidnapped by ICE, and for our public-housing neighbors to stay housed in the face of rapid privatization.
“My hope is for more Minnesotan cooperatives to follow MadWorC’s lead by being in solidarity with our cooperators and residents most at risk of being displaced and/or kidnapped,” Diana said. “During our Midwestern goodbyes, Madison cooperators shared their hopes to visit the Twin Cities cooperatives soon and continue building out our regional cooperative sector. We can’t wait to host you!”
Twin Cities Cooperative Directory Maps
- Worker-owned cooperatives
- Cooperatively operated businesses
- Real estate investment cooperatives
- Consumer-owned cooperatives
- Residential cooperatives (This map shows merely a small slice of residential cooperatives; there are over 100 housing co-ops In Minneapolis)
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