The Black Social Economy in the Americas

All of the cases under study—from Latin American and the Caribbean, as well as North America—have horrific legacies of enslavement, colonization, and racism, and the cases will be used to discuss how Black people have contributed to the social amelioration of their communities through social-purpose businesses, which strive to reach both social and economic objectives. The Black social economy is taking place all over the Americas and is proving to be a viable alternative to extreme forms of capitalism. Brazil, with one of the largest Black diaspora populations in the world, has the legacy of Quilombos (cooperatives run by Afro-Brazilians) to retain their African cultural heritage and to have sustainable economic livelihoods. Caribbean women in Jamaica, Haiti, Guyana, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago organize economic cooperatives to support businesses and local projects. In Latin America, the experiences of Afro-Argentines and Afro-Colombians are lesser known cases but nonetheless have a rich history of cultivating community economies to preserve their own culture in the face of business and social exclusion. The story would not be complete without the study of the Black diaspora in the USA and Canada who encounter many forms of violence in the society. African-Americans have always had mutual-aid societies as a way to cope in a hostile environment. In Canada, newcomers from Africa and the Caribbean hold onto informal money collectives as a way to preserve their heritage and to deal with business exclusion. As explained, this work contributes to the global conversation on alternative social practices that empower traditionally marginalized social groups.

Black Social Economy is not merely concerned with the financial or material capital that sustains Black life, but with the interrelated educational, social, cultural, educational, judicial, religious, and agricultural structures that mediate the circumstances in which Black people find themselves in Western capitalist societies. Building on the observations of contributors, and following Ivan Light’s (Ethnic and Racial Studies 7(2):195–216, 1984/2010) analysis of the entrepreneurial opportunities and practices of immigrants and minoritized people, I offer a reading of the societal contexts in which Black people struggled against inequity, racism, and colonialism to assert their presence and gain respect. I discuss the hope and faith that are placed in education, the influential role of women, and why, despite individuals’ self-reliance, self-determination, and adaptability, “resilience” as framed by neoliberalism does not suitably explain their achievements.