Reimagining our Economy through Restorative Economics, Nwamaka Agbo
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Online
Free
Open to the Public
How can we build healthy and self-determined communities rooted in shared prosperity? With a background in community organizing, electoral campaigns, policy and advocacy work on racial, social and environmental justice issues, Nwamaka Agbo is deeply committed to projects that help create sustainable, safe and sovereign spaces.
Reimagining our Economy through Restorative Economics
Speaker: Nwamaka Agbo, Restorative Economics Consultant and Advocate
Thursday, December 3rd, 2020
12:30pm to 1:30pm Pacific Time
Online via Zoom (details below)
Video Available
About the Topic
(Description from Nwamaka Agbo Consulting website)
The Challenge Before Us
As income inequality grows and climate disruption intensifies, it is clear that our economic and climate systems are at a crisis point that will devastate communities far and wide. Unfortunately, low-income, vulnerable communities of color that have already suffered decades of economic alienation, and extraction of wealth and labor by the 1% and people in power, will be hurt first and worst by these converging catastrophes.
Further, rampant voter suppression, corporate lobbyists and laws like Citizens United continue to compromise our democracy. People’s voices are more important than ever, but unless we build more equitable governance structures the voices of the vulnerable will be locked out of these critical conversations about democracy and the basic humanity of all people.
Our current economy and political system was built to harm marginalized communities. It is time to dream bigger and build an economy that heals the harm and restores those communities creating a more just and prosperous country.
We Have a Choice to Make
In order to truly address the debilitating income and wealth inequality in our country—one that continues to be exacerbated by climate disruption (as we have seen with Hurricane Maria battering down Puerto Rico’s dire economy brought about by their erroneous debt), we must embrace a restorative approach to transforming our economy—a process focused on accountability, reconciliation and restitution. We must advance strategies that restore, heal and make whole the communities and places most exploited and dislocated by economic policies and practices, so that we can all live and thrive with dignity together.
The Opportunity
We live in a global economic system where more money means more power. It will take all of us, working together, to develop solutions that repair the harm caused by that system and begin to restore both people and the planet.
When communities come together to collectively own and manage assets, they can leverage their joint economic power to collectively assert their rights and exercise cultural and political power in a more impactful way than they would on their own. And, when neighbors build community wealth together they create safe and sovereign spaces that foster self-determination and build shared prosperity.
About the Speaker
Nwamaka is the CEO of the Kataly Foundation and Managing Director of the Restorative Economies Fund. In her roles, Nwamaka collaborates with the Kataly Team to lead the foundation’s day to day operations, while holding the community-centered strategy and vision for the Fund.
With a background in community organizing, electoral campaigns, policy and advocacy work on racial, social and environmental justice issues, Nwamaka is deeply committed to supporting projects that build resilient, healthy and self-determined communities rooted in shared prosperity.
Prior to joining the Kataly Team, Nwamaka built an independent consulting practice guided by her framework on Restorative Economics. As a consultant, she provided technical assistance and strategic guidance to community owned and governed community wealth building initiatives like Restore Oakland, Black Land & Power and others. Her work with these community driven projects led her to providing trainings and advisory services to donors, foundations and impact investment firms including institutions like The San Francisco Foundation and RSF Social Finance. Nwamaka has served as a fellow for the Center for Economic Democracy and the Movement Strategy Center. She proudly serves on the board of Thousand Currents, Restore Oakland, Inc. and Resource Generation.
To relax and unwind, Nwamaka enjoys spending quiet time in her Oakland backyard savoring sips of bourbon.
Suggested Reading
- TBD
Lecture Location: Online, Via Zoom
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Questions
The Center for the Blue Economy is a research organization at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Our mission is to promote a sustainable ocean and coastal economy (the “Blue Economy”) through leadership in research, analysis, and education. For questions about this event, please contact: Rachel C. at cbe@miis.edu or visit centerfortheblueeconomy.org or call 831-647-4183 (must leave message and receive call back).