What Is a Coop, Cooperative, or Collective? A Beginner’s Guide to Empowering the Black Diaspora Through Shared Ownership and Economic Liberation

What is a Coop, Cooperative, Collective?

These are all interchangeable words used to describe a business model in which the members/users of the cooperative ARE the owners.

Most importantly, a cooperative is more than just a business model—it's a philosophy rooted in the principles of mutual aid, shared ownership, and collective decision-making. In a cooperative the owner/member/users have an equal say in how things are run. The focus isn’t on maximizing profits for shareholders who are distanced from the work at hand, but on ensuring that resources are distributed equitably among those who contribute to the  cooperative's success. 

In the simplest sense, you get out of it what you put into it. 

Coops offer the black diaspora a powerful tool ,within the system that we are already beholden to, for economic empowerment, community building, and ultimately, liberation. Historically, Black people have faced systemic exclusion from wealth-building opportunities, particularly in spaces that involve ownership and control of resources. For centuries, Black communities have had limited access to economic systems that promote sustainability and self-sufficiency. 

This is where cooperatives come in.

By pooling resources and expertise, cooperatives allow communities to create shared wealth and sustainable livelihoods that aren’t beholden to outside forces. Imagine a community of Black farmers coming together to create a cooperative farm, not just to grow food, but to control their land but to also, add value, and market their products together. The food they grow would be for their people—healthy, culturally relevant, and free from corporate interference. Their products would reach a much larger audience, at a lower individual cost and the profits stay within the community, supporting those that supported the farmers. 

In this way, the cooperative acts as both an engine for economic change and a catalyst for community reinvestment. 

Cooperatives can also be a means of decolonizing knowledge and shifting the narrative around Black identities. In a cooperative, every member has the chance to share their knowledge and expertise. This allows for the preservation and transmission of Black culture, heritage, and history in ways that aren’t controlled by mainstream institutions that often misrepresent or erase these narratives. 

The Liberatory Knowledge Exchange is one such cooperative space that allows the sharing of wisdom, from generational knowledge on food sovereignty to techniques for self-care and healing.

When it comes to ownership, forming coops, working together is a first step in reclaiming power and autonomy. In the larger scope of liberation, cooperatives represent a fundamental shift, a move away from dependence on systems that profit from oppression, and a move toward creating self-sustaining ecosystems where Black people can thrive, not just survive. 

Cooperatives are not just about creating economic opportunities—they’re about creating spaces where Black liberation is built into the very fabric of the system.

How do you see cooperatives shaping the future of our communities? 

Share your insights in the comments below!