"Contrary to media portrayals, immigrants are often agents of transformation. Such is the case with immigrants actively involved in two community-based organizations in Greater Boston. One of these, which I helped found and where I currently serve as general coordinator, is the Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity (CCDS) in East Boston. Another is Comunidades Enraizadas (Rooted Communities) Community Land Trust (CECLT), in nearby Chelsea."
"In both periods, neighbors were turned out of their homes, lost jobs, and struggled to feed their families. Immigrants in East Boston and Chelsea worked to help one another, to share what we had, and to send the message that we were not alone, that we needed each other not just to survive but to create a world where we all can have dignified and happy lives."
Immigrants in East Boston and Chelsea formed community-based organizations—Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity (CCDS) and Comunidades Enraizadas Community Land Trust (CECLT)—to confront gentrification, displacement, and foreclosure. Those crises uprooted neighbors, caused job loss, and food insecurity, prompting mutual aid, sharing, and collective organizing. Organizers drew on Latin American cooperativism and the solidarity economy, prioritizing people, life, and the environment over profit. The groups aim to replace systems of oppression and exploitation with models focused on liberation, happiness, and care, fostering connection, commitment, and dignified living through cooperative practices and community land trust strategies.
Read at Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
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