Co-op Ed Center

Co-op Ed Center (CEC) is a non-profit organization focused on advancing economic and racial justice by educating, training, and developing worker cooperatives in BIPOC communities. Our mission is to build worker-owned businesses in BIPOC communities across Chicagoland that abide by values of equity, cooperation, solidarity, and democracy. For far too long, the prevailing economic system has excluded and exploited many individuals based on their education level, legal status, language proficiency, and background record, disproportionately impacting Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). These barriers also impact their access to basic resources, such as health, food and quality housing. While these barriers have impacted BIPOC communities for generations, they were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The worker cooperative model has been proven to create quality jobs, wealth, ownership, and investment in community development. However, for worker cooperatives to develop and flourish, organizational capacity and support must be established. It is with that intent that the Co-op Ed Center was formed in 2018.