Move it Forward Monday, Building Community Power in East Baltimore
What does it mean to resist with LOVE and build community power? For our first Move it Forward Monday of 2023, Rowana and I caught up with Tyra and Lenora to discuss their work through Village of Love and Resistance @volarbmore.
VOLAR’s mission is to co-create a cooperative community in East Baltimore owned by Black and Brown people ✊🏾✊🏽✊🏿 focused on the reclamation of land, 🌱healing, reconnecting, and building a base of community power. 🌎🌱 You can support @volarbmore by donating, staying in touch by signing up for their newsletter and following them on social media. Visit them online.
Some Key Takeaways -
On Tuesday, November 24, 2020, VOLAR finalized their purchase of two buildings that sit at 1025 and 1031 East Monument Street, formerly the sanctuary and rectory buildings of the Centennial UMC. They are excited to bring renewed community life to these 100+ year-old buildings located at the corner Ensor and East Monument Streets.
The VOLAR hub will include a community wellness center, small business incubator, an industrial size kitchen, affordable daycare center, organizing school, community meeting spaces, and offices for local grassroots organizations. The housing cooperative will provide access to affordable housing, the opportunity to co-own the building, and the chance to live in an intentional healing community.
VOLAR believes it’s essential to build power from within the community so those most impacted by oppression and capitalism are centered, not ignored.
VOLAR’s Own our Hood program invites residents from the surrounding zip codes of VOLARs' buildings (at 1025 and 1031 E. Monument street) to co-own the buildings through investment of $10 - $100 each month! This happens through the Community Investment Trust Fund that will return on local residents' investments annually.
Their organizing does not stop with the reclamation of buildings, but also includes green spaces; they are organizing to create a community-owned park in the neighborhood, near buildings they own.
Building political consciousness is part of their work as a collective as well; they are constantly educating themselves about the impact of racism and capitalism within East Baltimore.
Healing from collective trauma is an essential part of the work; they make it point to prioritize this for all members of the collective.
