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Economic Democracy Del Bronx Sobre La RESTRUCTURING REESTRUCTURACIÓN FOR RESILIENCE AND PARA LA RESILIENCIA Y SOLIDARITY LA SOLIDARIDAD THE BRONX SMALL LA GUÍA DE CAMPO PARA BUSINESS FIELD GUIDE EMPRESAS PEQUEÑAS TO ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY DEL BRONX SOBRE LA DEMOCRACIA ECONÓMICA TABLE OF CONTENTS ENGLISH STARTS ON PAGE 1 WHO WE ARE 5 WHAT IS THIS GUIDE AND WHO IS IT FOR? 7 WHAT WE ARE ABOUT: ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY 8 WHERE DO WE STAND IN THE BRONX? 9 OUR FRAMEWORK FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND ENTERPRISES 11 FOR ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY TEAMWORK AND SOLIDARITY IN BUSINESS PRACTICES AND MANAGEMENT 13 STABILITY AND RESILIENCE THROUGH COOPERATION: FINANCE, NETWORKS, 25 COLLABORATION, EXPANSION NO GOING BACK: RAISING STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS, COMMUNITY, AND PLACE 31 LET’S WORK TOGETHER 34 OTHER RESOURCES AND ORGANIZATIONS 35 ESPAÑOL EMPIEZA EN PAGINA 37 QUIÉNES SOMOS 39 ¿QUÉ ES ESTA GUÍA Y PARA QUIÉN ES? 41 DE QUÉ SE TRATA: DEMOCRACIA ECONÓMICA 42 ¿DÓNDE NOS ENCONTRAMOS EN EL BRONX? 43 NUESTRO MARCO PARA EMPRENDEDORES Y EMPRESAS PARA LA DEMOCRACIA 45 ECONÓMICA TRABAJO EN EQUIPO Y SOLIDARIDAD EN PRÁCTICAS Y GESTIÓN EMPRESARIAL 47 ESTABILIDAD Y RESILIENCIA A TRAVÉS DE COOPERACIÓN: FINANZAS, REDES, 61 COLABORACION, EXPANSION SIN IR PARA ATRAS: ELEVANDO LOS ESTÁNDARES PARA NEGOCIOS, COMUNIDAD, 67 Y LUGARES TRABAJEMOS JUNTOS 70 OTROS RECURSOS Y ORGANIZACIONES 71 WHO WE ARE The Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative (BCDI) is a community-led planning and economic development organization based in the Bronx. We are growing a network of community and labor organizations, anchor institutions, and small businesses to build an equitable, sustainable, and democratic local economy that creates shared wealth and ownership for low-income people of color--what we call economic democracy. Grounded in a vision of movement building approach to economic transformation, and a community enterprise network model, we create people-centered planning and development processes; generate community solutions through innovation and digital fabrication technology; develop, grow, and connect local Bronx businesses to new opportunities; and train leaders from across sectors to advance a more democratic Bronx economy. Special thanks to those who supported with their feedback: Esmeralda Herrerra (Communitas), Joe Marraffino and Todd Leverette (DAWI), Dave Levine (ASBC), Rebecca Lurie (CUNY). Thanks as well to The Open Society Foundations and to the Office of New York Senator Jamaal Bailey. Translation by: Nicole Lindley and Helena Botero-Pinzon Design by: Kevin Cadena Who We Are 5 SPACE FOR IMAGE Who We Are 6 WHAT IS THIS GUIDE AND WHO IS IT FOR? The COVID pandemic has hit the Bronx hard. Decades of research tell us why: our health is determined by basic elements of our well-being. Housing, job security, intergenerational wealth, air quality, safe streets. Structural racism and inequality are critical health hazards for the Bronx. Nationally, Black and Brown business owners have been largely shut out of recovery funds, and locally, Bronx businesses have received the smallest share of funds. The “normal” that existed before the pandemic did not work for most of us. The future of the Bronx must follow a different path. We are also tired of narratives that portray us and the Bronx as people and places only of poverty, desperation, and hardship. Yes, we are struggling. We’ve been struggling. But we are not defined only by our hardship. We are a multilingual, multicultural community with bustling commercial districts, creative energy, community institutions, and neighbors who support each other and support local business. Local business owners and entrepreneurs are often here because they care about the Bronx and want to do something positive for their family and community. Doing this wasn’t easy before, and it’s not easy now. This field guide is for anyone who owns a business or wants to start a business in the Bronx, and believes that we can’t go back to the old normal. Anyone who believes that a new normal is both necessary and possible. So whether you’re a business owner trying to survive and regroup for the future, or an entrepreneur designing the first elements of your idea, or anywhere in between, this is for you. In this guide, we outline a set of tools and frameworks for a fair and just recovery, strong and resilient Bronx businesses, and a better Bronx business climate, including: • Establishing clear value propositions for “high-road” business models, and shared ownership and solidarity networks. Centering democracy, shared ownership, and equity makes businesses stronger, more successful and resilient over time. This is true both for making changes in existing businesses and for businesses that are just starting up and laying the groundwork for the future. • Principles for cooperative enterprise and economic democracy, and why it matters for us in the Bronx. • How Bronx businesses can work collaboratively as you recover from COVID to achieve scale, access financing, grow market access, and advocate for smarter policies and regulations that support your business and those like yours. • At the end of each section we provide “notes from the field.”These are curated articles and examples from the real world on how economic democracy, employee and worker ownership, and high-road businesses are creating better businesses, and more equitable regions in the process. • How you can get involved and work with BCDI and our network. Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative 7 WHAT WE ARE ABOUT: ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY Our approach is not only about employers and business owners committing to better practices, although those are important. We believe that a just recovery, and a better business climate for the Bronx takes collective action and systemic, structural change, not only individual ones. For us, these systems changes must be guided by economic democracy. Why economic democracy? We often hear that we live in a democratic society, or at the very least, that we should aspire to be one. But why does the practice of democracy--of one person, one vote, rather than one dollar, one vote--not apply to our economic lives? Who benefits from the absence of democracy in the Bronx economy? Economic democracy means people sharing ownership and control over the assets and resources in their communities. Specifically, it’s about Bronxitessharing ownership and wealth, and democratic governance over the assets of our community. In the immediate moment and for the future, this means more resilience and solidarity—the things that we know are what keep us safe through all the tough times we have faced in the Bronx. Economic democracy will position Bronx residents and businesses as the collective decision-makers and owners of our borough’s future. For decades, Bronxites have faced challenges that pushed our neighborhoods to the brink. Our hustle, organizing, and creativity brought the Bronx back: we created community-owned workplaces, land, and housing, and got our government to invest in rebuilding. Now, the work and the people that together brought back our neighborhoods and the value that we created—are at risk. Economic democracy can disrupt this history and this pattern of wealth extraction from poor communities, people of color, and women to create an economy that invests in human dignity, fosters community well-being, stability and safety, and supports movements for freedom. Fostering economic democracy in the Bronx takes all of us. Business owners and entrepreneurs have a big role to play. Ready? Let’s go. SPACE FOR IMAGE What We Are About: Economic Democracy 8 WHERE DO WE STAND IN THE BRONX? Even in hard times, the Bronx has tremendous assets and resources: it is home to some of the region’s top hospitals and universities, the third largest financial corridor in New York City, the largest food distribution center in the country, a legacy of artistic and entrepreneurial innovation, and deeply rooted community organizations. Despite this wealth, the Bronx remains the poorest urban county in the US, with high rates of rent burden, food apartheid, widespread threat of displacement, and poor health outcomes. The pandemic has revealed the harm that these challenges cause every day. In the face of these contradictions, we believe that the Bronx can be a leader in a more equitable urban future, and transform the meaning of a “good business climate” to one that rewards shared ownership and high-road enterprises. We have the resources, creativity, and the will to confront our greatest challenges. Creating a better Bronx together means partnerships and institutions that work across neighborhoods, and leadership that is rooted in our history and values. To more effectively harness our assets and own the future of the Bronx together, we need the infrastructure to support businesses, community organizations, labor unions, schools, and civic organizations to work together towards a borough-wide vision and plan for economic democracy in the Bronx. With economic democracy at the core of our vision, we see a future where the Bronx is a place of opportunity and power. We envision a borough that is rich in resources, expertise, talent, civic power, and with diverse “high-road” businesses, cooperatives, and social enterprises building intergenerational community wealth for our people with deep democracy and shared ownership. Across the borough, we are building a network by and for the Bronx to support high-road Bronx businesses and entrepreneurs to connect and grow to meet local demand. The success of these businesses will contribute to the larger network
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