Dear Colleague,

Climate change is an unprecedented global social, political, and economic crisis and will undoubtedly be one of the most prominent political and economic challenges of the 2020s. As we explore potential solutions, we can look at our history for tools to catalyze action at the scale and magnitude we need. Our latest report, authored by Director of Research Thomas M. Hanna, explores the surprisingly rich history of nationalization in the US, demonstrating that there is historical precedent for leveraging the economic power of government to address large-scale social and economic crises. Read more below and in Jacobin.

We also know that critical element in the effort to transform our current economic system is accounting for the historic theft of life, labor, land, and wealth from Black and Indigenous people – the effects of which resonate to this day in how tens of millions of people experience the American economy. More and more we are clear that any work to build the democratic economy must also include serious approaches to reparative justice. To advance our work in this area, earlier this fall The Democracy Collaborative (TDC) hosted the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC) for a conversation on reparations and the democratic economy. This consultative session included TDC staff, community organizers, and philanthropic leaders who are advancing the work of racial equity and reparative justice. We look forward to continued opportunities to learn, organize, and take action on this mission-critical issue with our friends from NAARC and the larger field of practitioners. Read more about the conversation in Medium from Ronnie Galvin, Vice President for Racial Equity and the Democratic Economy.

Another exciting development is a recent announcement from 14 health systems that are part of the Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN) around a commitment of over $700 million for place-based investing to address the economic, racial, and environmental resource disparities that impact community health outcomes. These health systems, representing some of the largest employers in their respective states, will leverage their investment capital to support efforts ranging from inclusive economic development to affordable housing. Read more in this press release, as well as in dozens of national and local publications.
 
This fall, Executive Vice President and Senior Fellow Marjorie Kelly and I have been travelling nationally and internationally to discuss our new book The Making of a Democratic Economy. We have been thrilled to see old friends and meet so many new ones at these events, and we are profoundly grateful for all the support and kind words. You can watch our plenary session from SOCAP and my remarks from a conversation hosted by the London (Ontario) Poverty Research Centre at King's. Marjorie was recently profiled by Fast Company as part of their The New Capitalism series. In the piece, she discusses the underlying principles of the book, stating: “What I believe is that we need a democratic economy. That means you bring the values of the public good and broad-based prosperity into the core design of economic institutions and practices." Read the full profile here.
 
For readers based in the UK, I will be travelling there at the end of this month to speak on a series of panels focused on community wealth building on both sides of the Atlantic. Read more about the series and view the locations here. In early December, several members of our team will be in Amsterdam for The Future is Public, an international conference on democratic ownership hosted by the Transnational Institute (TNI) and 99Vanamsterdam and co-organized by TDC and numerous other international partners. Register here.
 
Lastly, I am pleased to share that The Democracy Collaborative and the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU) have reached an agreement on our organization’s first staff contract. Read the full press release here. 

Sincerely,
Ted Howard
President and Co-Founder,
The Democracy Collaborative