In the past three years, the US economy has revealed an undeniable truth: it runs on care work. This labor, done mostly by women of color, is often made invisible: performed quietly and cheaply by those at the margins of society, who work hard without good pay or protections.

How can workers in the sector come together to organize—and counter this tendency of the nation’s economy to devalue care work that is intrinsic to our survival?

To explore these questions, this webinar offers three leaders in the care economy, who will discuss these issues from multiple perspectives, including as worker-owners in care-sector cooperative businesses and as policy advocates. Our three expert panelists are:

• Adria Powell, President and CEO of the Cooperative Home Care Associates of the Bronx, New York, the nation’s largest worker cooperative.
• Jenn Stowe, Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
• Mary Wilder, Board President of Shine Nurture Center, a Cincinnati-based childcare business that became part of the Co-op Cincy worker co-op network in 2022.

This webinar will explore:

• What is the “care economy”? What is its scale? What are the leading factors behind the sector’s rapid growth?
• What are some ways that advocacy already has begun to increase the value of care work? Where have there been “wins?” What has been achieved?
• How do operations change when a business becomes a worker co-op?
• What roles do labor unions play in the care economy now? What roles could they play?
• What advantages do worker cooperatives provide care workers in fields such as home care and childcare?
• What is the care economy infrastructure that the nation needs?
• What steps can nonprofits and philanthropy take to support care workers?

Whether you’re a social movement activist, 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.

Register to learn how nonprofits and movement activists are advancing strategies to address the economic and social inequalities of our time!

The moderator for this webinar is NPQ senior editor and 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 webinar@npqmag.org to have them answered during the web event.