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Poverty, gentrification, unemployment, homelessness, unequal access to food and healthcare, and other challenges facing our communities are all interconnected. Today’s guest believes that we need an equally complex solution. Meet Nia Evans, Executive Director of the Boston Ujima Project, a Black-led, democratic, member-run organization that was born from a shared desire to find real solutions to racial wealth inequality.

Trained in labor relations, education leadership, and policy, Nia’s advocacy work focuses on eliminating barriers between analysts and people with lived experiences, as well as increasing awareness of the value of diverse types of expertise in policy. Along with artist Tomashi Jackson, Nia is also the co-creator of the Frames Debate Project. This multimedia policy debate project explores the intersection between mental health services, drug policy, and incarceration in Massachusetts.

Taking its name from the Swahili word for “collective work and responsibility,” the Boston Ujima Project aims to build a cooperative arts, business, and investment ecosystem in Boston. To gain insight into their ongoing commitment to build a community-based and democratically-instituted economy, find out how Ujima has grown since Nia was on the podcast four years ago, learn how Ujima plans to scale their impact going forward, and so much more, be sure to tune in today!

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Key Points From This Episode:

•   Insight into Nia’s background and what brought her to the work she does today. [0:01:05]

•   Some of the Boston Ujima Project’s major milestones in the past four years. [0:09:05]

•   Why arts and cultural organizing programs are an important pillar of Ujima’s work. [0:17:30]

•   What it means to “create the air” that we move through. [0:18:26]

•   The long-term vision for Ujima in terms of scale and impact. [0:19:57]

•   Translocal members and grassroots partners joining the movement to create economic democracy ecosystems where they are. [0:28:33]

•   Staff care practices that help to facilitate Ujima’s important work. [0:31:32]

•   How you can support the Boston Ujima Project. [0:37:45]

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Tweetables:

“What mechanism is available to community members to be able to have a direct say in their communities, to be able to participate in [agenda- and problem-setting] conversations?” — @NIAkEVANS [0:03:10]

“We have community members, we have small businesses, we have artists that we count as stakeholders. What we had to think through was: how do we assess what their needs are and how do we work to support them?” — @NIAkEVANS [0:14:10]

“People have to understand what we’re talking about [is not fringe or dreamy or fantastical. It’s real and normal]. It also has to be compelling and welcoming. We’re creating the air that we’re moving in.” — @NIAkEVANS [0:18:39]

“Another way we think about scale is to see something like Ujima in another place; not a replica, not an imitation, but [an ecosystem approach] that makes sense for that community. When we [look] ahead, we see [a country] that is populated with economic democracy initiatives.” — @NIAkEVANS [0:25:59]

“One of the easiest ways to connect [with the Boston Ujima Project] is to consider joining as a member.” — @NIAkEVANS [0:38:16]

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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Nia Evans on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/nia-k-evans-2b275a4/

Nia Evans on Twitter — https://twitter.com/niakevans

Boston Ujima Project — https://www.ujimaboston.com/

Boston Ujima Project on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/ujimaboston/

Center for Economic Democracy — https://www.economicdemocracy.us/

Ujima Good Business Alliance — https://www.ujimaboston.com/ugba

East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative — https://ebprec.org/

Nia Evans & Lucas Turner-Owens: The Boston Ujima Project — https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/2019/5/7/next-economy-now

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