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About Us
​WLC will be a bridge to liberation for Black women and femmes through equitable economic sustainability and collective determination.
In this multi-stakeholder collaborative structure, members will make a thriving wage, have access to mental health care and many of the services independent contractors and under-resourced entrepreneurs are deprived of. According to 'An Economy For All: Building A Black Women Best Legislative Agenda' report by the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, “Black women in particular cannot escape the “hole” of lower wages, worse job related benefits, and less stable work even when our educational attainment outpaces that of other groups. Black Americans, for example, face lower rates of access to employer-provided health insurance or employer-sponsored retirement plans compared to white Americans.” With the resources our co-op will provide, these barriers to necessary insurances and unlivable wages will no longer be a problem.
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Worker-ownership in the form of a cooperative removes the class-divide between the Worker and The Owner by making them the same person, so those who directly benefit from the work of the co-op are also the people making the decisions, ensuring community benefit is central and collectively managing funds so every worker-owner has economic security and the ability to thrive.
We’re offering to help folx own their Means of Production. Other important perks include cost-sharing, consensus-based practices and being deliberate about community benefit. Being able to eventually support our work and sustain ourselves on our own is the goal.
Our 'Her'story
​The Womanist Working Collective (WWC) has been building its grassroots community solutions using a Womanist Theoretical praxis, community feedback and best practices rooted in equity and justice. WWC’s work has come to a point where paid staff and a homebase are needed. The strategy behind launching our worker-owner co-op was born from a desire to no longer be completely reliant on grants. It is not sustainable and positions us too close to the Non-profit Industrial Complex for way too long. To solve both issues, WWC shifted a portion of its organization’s work, particularly Political Education and community development work, into a worker-owned cooperative. Womxnist Liberation Cooperative has now become a fully independent entity and maintains a partnership with WWC.
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In 2020, we finally soft-launched our multi-stakeholder cooperative, Womxnist Liberation Collaborative (WLC). WLC is a Black-owned nationwide, multi-stakeholder co-op, offering equity-based cultural and community rooted solutions. We offer an accessible set of services and resources for Black women and femmes looking to go into business for themselves and work as entrepreneurs, freelancers or independent contractors. We allow for autonomy, agency and access to the support to sustain them as they make a living for themselves and their families. We meet the backend support needs, provide insurance coverages, offer access to professional development, provide cooperative education, fundraise for tuition towards member's career advancement programs and remove barriers to access workplace benefits (dental insurance, health insurance, childcare/eldercare, paid time off, parental leave, retirement plans, vision insurance, etc.).
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For people interested in accessing our workplace and wellness benefits such as optional shared marketing/branding, Sociocracy governance training, contract negotiation support and mutual aid, they can apply to become a Producer-member in our Fawohodie Membership Club.