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Baltimore Economic Democracy Conference Round-up

Highlights from around the web

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June 7, 2014
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This May, Baltimore played host to an Economic Democracy Conference, organized by It's Our Economy.  We've rounded-up coverage  from across the web so you can read reports from the conference, listen to conference organizers and watch video of conference sessions--all in one place.  If you couldn't make it to the conference, this round-up is the next best thing!

Here's a report from It's Our Economy:


Enthusiasm High for a New Economy for Baltimore

Several of the speakers at the Baltimore Economic Democracy Conference took part in the Jackson Rising Conference and were eager to share what sorts of conversations are popping up across the country. Over the course of two days, local community members, policymakers, activists, and experts from around the country gathered to envision what a more democratic economy that puts people ahead of profits could look like in Baltimore. The conference, entitled “Building Our New Economy Together,” was comprised of a televised town hall and a day of workshops and the two-day event proved to be a clearinghouse of ideas regarding what communities are doing to resist the outsized power of concentrated capital.


The Baltimore Post-Examiner ran this report on the conference:

Economy conference hits Baltimore

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers of Popular Resistance brought the It’s Our Economy Conference to Baltimore on Friday night. The conference was free to the public.

Paul Jay, CEO of The Real News Network introduced the conference graciously hosting and televising the event in his town hall space A large crowd was very engaged listening intently to the opening plenary comprised of Margaret Flowers (co-director, It’s Our Economy), Diane Bell Mc-Koy (President& CEO. Associated Black Charities), Michael Coleman (United Workers Leader) and Jacqui Dunne (CEO Danu Resource)...

“What would it look like if we had an economy that put people and environment before corporate profits?” Flowers asked the audience. That quote seemed to be the conference main theme.
 

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers of Popular Resistance brought the It’s Our Economy Conference to Baltimore on Friday night. The conference was free to the public.

Paul Jay, CEO of The Real News Network introduced the conference graciously hosting and televising the event in his town hall space A large crowd was very engaged listening intently to the opening plenary comprised of Margaret Flowers (co-director, It’s Our Economy), Diane Bell Mc-Koy (President& CEO. Associated Black Charities), Michael Coleman (United Workers Leader) and Jacqui Dunne (CEO Danu Resource).  Gar Alperovitz was scheduled to be included in the opening plenary but unfortunately could not attend.

“What would it look like if we had an economy that put people and environment before corporate profits?” Flowers asked the audience. That quote seemed to be the conference main theme. 

- See more at: http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/economy-conference-hits-baltimore/2014/05/19#sthash.94upFjSf.dpuf

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers of Popular Resistance brought the It’s Our Economy Conference to Baltimore on Friday night. The conference was free to the public.

Paul Jay, CEO of The Real News Network introduced the conference graciously hosting and televising the event in his town hall space A large crowd was very engaged listening intently to the opening plenary comprised of Margaret Flowers (co-director, It’s Our Economy), Diane Bell Mc-Koy (President& CEO. Associated Black Charities), Michael Coleman (United Workers Leader) and Jacqui Dunne (CEO Danu Resource).  Gar Alperovitz was scheduled to be included in the opening plenary but unfortunately could not attend.

“What would it look like if we had an economy that put people and environment before corporate profits?” Flowers asked the audience. That quote seemed to be the conference main theme.

- See more at: http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/economy-conference-hits-baltimore/2014/05/19#sthash.94upFjSf.dpuf

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers of Popular Resistance brought the It’s Our Economy Conference to Baltimore on Friday night. The conference was free to the public.

Paul Jay, CEO of The Real News Network introduced the conference graciously hosting and televising the event in his town hall space A large crowd was very engaged listening intently to the opening plenary comprised of Margaret Flowers (co-director, It’s Our Economy), Diane Bell Mc-Koy (President& CEO. Associated Black Charities), Michael Coleman (United Workers Leader) and Jacqui Dunne (CEO Danu Resource).  Gar Alperovitz was scheduled to be included in the opening plenary but unfortunately could not attend.

“What would it look like if we had an economy that put people and environment before corporate profits?” Flowers asked the audience. That quote seemed to be the conference main theme.

- See more at: http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/economy-conference-hits-baltimore/2014/05/19#sthash.94upFjSf.dpuf

This report on the conference comes from Bonnie Lane of the DCMediaGroup:
 

Conference Envisions Economic Democracy

Conference organizers, It’s Our Economy–an affiliation of concerned citizens, community activists, philanthropists, and policy makers–contend that “people are fed up with living from crisis to crisis.” They hope to build a “new economy,” empowering them “to take control of over the forces that shape their lives.”...

There were several sessions for participants to attend on cooperatives, money and finance, affordable housing, food security and renewable energy. Other workshops and speakers addressed systemic problems inherent to the current economy.
 

The Marc Steiner Show interviewed Margaret Flowers, Joyce Smith and John Morris about economic democracy and the Baltimore conference.
 

The Marc Steiner Show-Baltimore Economic Development Conference 2014

We close out our show...with another important event that’s happening today and Saturday, May 16 and 17, in Baltimore, the 2014 Baltimore Economic Development Conference, with: Dr. Margaret Flowers, co-director of ItsOurEconomy.us and co-host of Clearing the FOG (Forces of Greed) Radio Show; Joyce Smith, Community Relations Coordinator at the Center for a Livable Future and community advocate in Southwest Baltimore working on food issues; and John Morris, Dean of the School of Urban Planning and Community Economic Development at Sojourner-Douglass College.


Conference videos:

Go to the GEO main page

Josh Davis is the GEO Content Manager. 

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