This four part series explores the potential for cooperatives to foster a cross-cultural network of rural and urban communities. We weave together interviews and conversations to bring forward the ideas of expert scholars and citizens involved with a growing cooperative movement.
We Are The Ones: Cooperative Power Rooted in People and Place
Claim This Podcastby Davika Thomas
5 episodes
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Podcast Overview
This four part series explores the potential for cooperatives to foster a cross-cultural network of rural and urban communities. We weave together interviews and conversations to bring forward the ideas of expert scholars and citizens involved with a growing cooperative movement.
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Publishing Since
12/2/2025
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Recent Episodes
December 9, 2025
Episode 4: Cooperation Works
<p>This final episode of We Are the Ones explores how an environment that supports the development of co-operative businesses begins to take shape. In St. Louis, a well established network of mutual aid organizations gives rise to a fledgling co-op ecosystem through the work of Cooperation STL. Also, a look at worker co-op Garrity Tools.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>This way of organizing our economy won’t last forever. I don’t think it can. I think we’re already seeing and reaching the cracks in the system. And whether it’s climate change and loss of biodiversity and other ecological problems or unprecedented wealth inequity and other challenges, we’re seeing the stress the system is under. And the good news is, we don’t have to keep doing it this way.<p> Yoni Blumberg, Community Wealth Building Strategist</p><p></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Speakers:</strong></p><p>Cathy Statz - Co-operative Educator and Outreach Specialist. She provides education and outreach on the co-op business model for a number of local to international organizations, including the National Cooperative Business Association and the International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary's University.</p><p><br></p><p>Joe Guinan - President of The Democracy Collaborative and author of numerous articles and books, including The Case for Community Wealth Building and publisher of the weekly news summary Tracking the Crisis.</p><p><br></p><p>Jessica Gordon Nembhard - Political Economist, Professor and Author. She is Professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development in the Department of Africana Studies at City University of New York John Jay College of Criminal Justice.</p><p><br></p><p>Jenny Murphy - Artist, Brand Lead and Worker Owner, Garrity Tools, Cooperation STL Core Team Member.</p><p><br></p><p>Xandi Barrett - Cooperation STL Core Team Member.</p><p><br></p><p>Chris Wilcox - Cooperation STL Core Team Member.</p><p><br></p><p>Yoni Blumberg - Community Wealth Building Strategist.</p><p><br></p><p>The work of building a more equitable, democratic economy is taking place in cities and towns throughout the U.S. The first step usually involves a self-education process to counteract societal training that teaches individualistic modes of doing business as the path to success. </p><p><br></p><p>St. Louis worker co-op Garrity Tools took a couple years to learn about cooperatives before converting from a single owner business in 2022. Worker owner Jenny Murphy talks about that process.</p><p><br></p><p>In St. Louis, Missouri, mutual aid organizations have modeled and inspired a new way of organizing an economy that meets peoples’ needs. Arising from the proven effectiveness of mutual aid, the group Cooperation STL works to establish a co-operative ecosystem the fosters democratic, worker-owned businesses.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Music Break: 27:00 - 28:45 [1:45]</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Original songs “Spring Fork Creek” and “Portent” by The Lonesome Companions, available on their 2026 release “One More Round”.</p><p><br></p><p>Additional music is from Blue Dot Sessions: “Our Only Lark”-Bitters, “Capering”- Calumet, “Tripoli”-Pecan Grove and “Setting Pace”-Duck Lake.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Resources:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.stl.coop/">https://www.stl.coop/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.stl.coop/coop-guide">https://www.stl.coop/coop-guide</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://wepowerstl.org/">https://wepowerstl.org/</a></p><p><a href="https://wepowerstl.org/the-playbook/">https://wepowerstl.org/the-playbook/</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice by Jessica Gordon Nembhard</p><p><a href="https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09750-3.html">https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09750-3.html</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.democracycollaborative.org/">https://www.democracycollaborative.org/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.democracycollaborative.org/community-wealth-building">https://www.democracycollaborative.org/community-wealth-building</a></p><p><a href="https://index.democracycollaborative.org/">https://index.democracycollaborative.org/</a></p><p><a href="https://index.democracycollaborative.org/">https://index.democracycollaborative.org/</a></p><p><br></p><p>National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA <a href="https://ncbaclusa.coop/">https://ncbaclusa.coop/</a></p><p><br></p><p>Thank you for taking a few moments to fill out a brief survey here: <a href="https://forms.gle/Rjp5K9erKnHjSTBD7">https://forms.gle/Rjp5K9erKnHjSTBD7</a> </p><p><br></p><p>If you enjoy the program, please consider giving this series a 5-star review and share it with others. Thanks!</p><p><br></p><p>KOPN is sponsoring this program in partnership with the Missouri Humanities and with support from the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund.</p><p><br></p><p>For information about KOPN go to: <a href="https://www.kopn.org/">https://www.kopn.org/</a> </p><p> </p>
December 9, 2025
Episode 3: Democratic Workplaces
<p><br></p><p>We Are the Ones moves from rural to urban, with a look at how the farmer-owned co-op The Kansas City Food Hub gets locally grown food to area residents. Also, three Madison, WI worker co-ops tell how democratic workplaces empower their members and benefit their communities.</p><p><br></p>We’re going to figure it out. We’re going to figure it out. Because we’ve done it before, and we can do it again. Our collective power as workers, we believe in that. <p> John Hershberger, President of Union Cab Cooperative</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Speakers:</strong></p><p>Thomas Smith, Director of Operations, The Kansas City Food Hub.</p><p><br></p><p>John Hershberger, President, Union Cab Cooperative/Driver.</p><p><br></p><p>Adam Chern. Worker Owner at Union Cab Cooperative, President of Madison Worker Cooperatives (MadWorC).</p><p><br></p><p>Rebecca Kemble, Worker Owner at Union Cab Cooperative, former representative for District 18 on the Madison Common Council.</p><p><br></p><p>Ole Olson, Controls Engineer, Isthmus Engineering and Manufacturing, retired.</p><p> </p><p>Jon Purintun, Controls Engineer, Isthmus Engineering and Manufacturing.</p><p><br></p><p>George, Worker Owner at Community Pharmacy, Madison, WI.</p><p><br></p><p>Jane, Co-founder and Worker Owner at Community Pharmacy, Madison, WI, retired.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Music break: 29:14 - 29:46 [:32]</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Original songs “Spring Fork Creek” and “Portent” by The Lonesome Companions, available on their 2026 release “One More Round”.</p><p><br></p><p>Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions: “Lumber Down” - Barstool.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Episode Description:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>The farmer-owned cooperative Kansas City Food Hub brings locally grown food to Kansas City metro area citizens, stores, schools and restaurants. The KC Food Hub is working to open markets for area farmers in order to build a safe, sustainable local food system. Chief Operations Director Thomas Smith talks about the importance of growing food locally and how the Food Hub is going about the work of making a resilient local food supply a reality.</p><p><br></p><p>Then We Are the Ones takes listeners into the world of democratic workplaces. Union Cab Cooperative, Isthmus Engineering and Manufacturing, and Community Pharmacy have all been operating for more than 40 years. Worker owners at those companies describe the benefits of weathering challenges through collective decision making based on what’s best for workers and their communities.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Resources: </strong></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://thekcfoodhub.com/">https://thekcfoodhub.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.unioncab.com/">https://www.unioncab.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://isthmuseng.com/">https://isthmuseng.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.communitypharmacy.coop/">https://www.communitypharmacy.coop/</a></p><p><a href="https://madworc.coop/">https://madworc.coop/</a> - Madison Worker Co-operatives</p><p><a href="https://institute.coop/">https://institute.coop/</a> - Democracy at Work Institute</p><p><a href="https://uwcc.wisc.edu/">https://uwcc.wisc.edu/</a> - University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives</p><p><a href="https://www.usworker.coop/en/">https://www.usworker.coop/en/</a> - U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives</p><p><a href="https://www.cicopa.coop/">https://www.cicopa.coop/</a> - CICOPA</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Thank you for taking a few moments to fill out a brief survey here: <a href="https://forms.gle/Rjp5K9erKnHjSTBD7">https://forms.gle/Rjp5K9erKnHjSTBD7</a></p><p><br></p><p>If you enjoy this program, please consider giving it a five star review and sharing it with others. Thanks!</p><p><br></p><p>KOPN is sponsoring this program in partnership with the Missouri Humanities and with support from the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund.</p><p><br></p><p>For information about KOPN, go to: <a href="https://www.kopn.org/">https://www.kopn.org/</a></p><p><br></p>
December 9, 2025
Episode 2: Response to Corporate Ag
<p>Corporate pressure on U.S. farm policy has devastated rural communities as small and medium-sized farms get pushed off the land. Today some farmers find ways to re-build their local economies through co-operative business aimed at sustainable, local food production.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>“I mean, you can’t ignore, you can’t treat rural America like a sacrifice zone or a third world country forever and expect the people to be, what? Grateful? To make enlightened choices at the voting box? I don’t think so.”<br> Mary Berry, Executive Director of The Berry Center <p><br></p><p>Speakers:</p><p><br></p><p>Doug Genens: Oral Historian with The State Historical Society of Missouri.</p><p>John Ikerd: Author and Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.</p><p><br></p><p>Mary Berry: Executive Director of The Berry Center, New Castle, KY.</p><p><br></p><p>Josh Pyles: Farmer and member of Our Home Place Meat grass-fed beef cooperative, Henry County, KY.</p><p><br></p><p>George Siemon: Co-founder and first CEO of CROPP/Organic Valley Cooperative.</p><p><br></p><p>Katie Nixon: President of The Kansas City Food Hub.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Since the mid-20th century, U.S. agricultural policy has favored corporate agribusiness over small to medium-sized farms. Devastation of rural economies has been the result. This episode traces the history of that move toward industrial agriculture and the response of farmers who are forming co-operatives to build sustainable, local food economies.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Music Break: 32:33 - 33:27 [:54]</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Original songs “Spring Fork Creek” and “Portent” by The Lonesome Companions, available on their 2026 release “One More Round”.</p><p><br></p><p>Additional music is from Blue Dot sessions: “Again in the Spring-Sour Mash”, “Uncertain Ground”-Duck Lake, “Dolly and Pad”-Piano Mover, “Daylight Earned”-Illinois and Maco.</p><p><br></p><p>Resources:</p><p><a href="https://www.johnikerd.com/">https://www.johnikerd.com/</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://berrycenter.org/">https://berrycenter.org/</a></p><p><a href="https://berrycenter.org/initiatives/agrarian-culture-center/">https://berrycenter.org/initiatives/agrarian-culture-center/</a></p><p><a href="https://thekcfoodhub.com/">https://thekcfoodhub.com/</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry - or anything by Wendell Berry.<a href="https://www.berrycenterbookstore.com/product/the-unsettling-of-america/1321?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false">https://www.berrycenterbookstore.com/product/the-unsettling-of-america/1321?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false</a></p><p><br></p><p>Small Farms Are Real Farms by John Ikerd - or anything by John Ikerd.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Small-Farms-Are-Real-Agriculture-ebook/dp/B00V7AVMQ8">https://www.amazon.ca/Small-Farms-Are-Real-Agriculture-ebook/dp/B00V7AVMQ8</a></p><p><br></p><p>Owning Our Future by Marjorie Kelly - or anything by Marjorie Kelly.</p><p><a href="https://marjoriekelly.org/books">https://marjoriekelly.org/books</a> </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Thank you for taking a few moments to fill out a brief survey here:<a href="https://forms.gle/Rjp5K9erKnHjSTBD7"> https://forms.gle/Rjp5K9erKnHjSTBD7</a></p><p><br></p><p>If you enjoyed We Are the Ones, please consider giving the series a five- star review and share it with others. Thanks!</p><p><br></p><p>KOPN is sponsoring this program in partnership with the Missouri Humanities and with support from the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund.</p><p><br></p><p>For information on KOPN go to: <a href="https://www.kopn.org/">https://www.kopn.org/</a> </p>
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