Black History IS co-op History. 

At the Lexington Co-op, we would like to honor and celebrate Black History Month by sharing this article, “A Short History of Black Cooperatives in America.”  

According to the article, the first recorded cooperative efforts were mutual aid societies in the late 18th century”.  

Make sure to scroll down and watch the YouTube Video featuring Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard, the author of “Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice.” 

In keeping with the first co-op principle, a principle that governs co-ops everywhere, our goal is to be a space that is open, safe, welcoming, and inclusive of all races, religions, political ideologies, gender identities, sexual identities, and so on, regardless of socioeconomic status. Being community owned means being owned by the entire community of Buffalo, and we are on a journey of continuous improvement. We have goals to source more products from black-owned businesses, meet the needs of BIPOC owners and shoppers, and to employ a diverse workforce, all of which accurately reflect and represent the community we serve.

Our goal is to continue building a space with everyone in mind, and as always, we welcome your feedback on how to shift the needle in this direction.

#blackhistorymonth #blacklivesmatter