NPQ’s latest webinar in our Remaking the Economy series look at the past, present, and future of mutual aid. In the midst of COVID-19, mutual aid networks have emerged across the country. What is mutual aid? And how does it connect with broader movements for economic democracy and a solidarity economy?

For this webinar, we bring you three mutual aid practitioners from three cities who will speak to these issues in a discussion-style format. Our panelists are:

Danielle Mkali is director of Cooperatives, Transformation, and Healing at Nexus Community Partners in St. Paul, Minn., where she is helping disburse $3.1 million in funds raised during the uprising that followed the murder of George Floyd.

Mike Strode serves as a solidarity economy organizer in Chicago, Illinois, for the Kola Nut Collaborative, a mutual support network of people who are engaged in the reciprocal exchange of services, skills, and goods through a timebank system.

Dr. Yolande Tomlinson is a radical queer Black feminist Mama, educator, writer and community builder, who serves as co-director of the Organization for Human Rights and Democracy and is a co-coordinator of the Metro Atlanta Mutual Aid Fund. 

This webinar will explore:

• What are the main features of mutual aid—and how does it differ from charity?
• How can past eras (such as the late 19^th century) when mutual aid was common help inform mutual aid work today? What can we learn from history?
• How is mutual aid distributed to people? When the pandemic hit, what infrastructure was in place and what was needed? 
• What strengths and weaknesses do nonprofits bring to mutual aid work? How about community groups?
• How can nonprofits and philanthropy today support mutual aid?
• What are the some of the biggest challenges that have emerged in mutual aid work to date?
• How can mutual aid build towards a just and sustainable economy? What links are there behind mutual aid work today and efforts to build cooperatives and other forms of economy based on principles of solidarity and democracy?

Whether you’re a nonprofit leader, board member, or engaged in community-based organizing, this webinar will provide you with real-life examples and lessons learned that can inform your work in your own community.

The moderator for this webinar is NPQ Economic Justice Program Director Steve Dubb. Steve has worked with cooperatives and nonprofits for over two decades and has been both a student and practitioner in the field of community economic development.  

You can send your questions to editorinchief@npqmag.org to have them answered during the web event.

*The recording and slides of this webinar will be available on the NPQ website 2-3 days after the live event.