ARRINGTON CHAMBLISS
Ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in 2004, Reverend Arrington Chambliss served five years as Assistant/Associate Rector with the Church of St. Andrew in Marblehead, MA. She is particularly interested in the intersection between the inner work of contemplative prayer, reflection and healing and the outer work of nonviolent direct action, reconciliatory dialogue, and community organizing to bring about social change.
Paige Curtis spoke with the Reverend Arrington Chambliss who is the Executive Director of the Episcopal City Mission.
Paige Curtis spoke with the Reverend Arrington Chambliss who is the Executive Director of the Episcopal City Mission.
Rev. Arrington Chambliss: We’re an Episcopal-affiliated church working towards racial and economic justice in Massachusetts, as an expression of God's transforming love. Throughout our long history, since we were founded in 1844, we've heard that call for justice. In the early years, we did much more charity-oriented direct service, but in the 1960s, we pivoted to working on systemic injustice more holistically.
Everyone has very different points of connection to Ujima. How did you first hear about our work?
We were invited by the Center for Economic Democracy to participate in an initiative called “Solidarity Philanthropy” around 2019. Led by leaders from Access Strategies, CED, and Boston Impact Initiative, we were given the space to learn more about solidarity economy principles and reflect with peer organizations. We had heard about Ujima’s work before this, and some of us on staff attended a number of faith-related member meetings, but it really gelled in this learning circle when we were able to expand our imagination around what’s possible.
“One of our guiding principles around investment is partnering with BIPOC-led movements around the state, and laying the foundation for a meaningful contribution to reparations and solidarity.”
Why did Episcopal City Mission decide to invest in the Ujima Fund?
Like everyone who experienced the pandemic and the racial justice uprising in 2020, we bolstered our actions, as it relates to philanthropy and organizing. The bulk of our philanthropy supports grassroots community organizing, and on the organizing front, we work with Episcopalians across Massachusetts to advance racial and economic justice. Internally, we moved half a million dollars to support Black movement leaders leading the resistance. We also have an endowment and wanted to go deeper on mission-related investment, but didn’t just want investments to be based on returns, but [also on] social impact. Ujima was the most profound expression of that. Our grantmaking, investing and organizing all began to converge around the start of the pandemic.
We also did a year-long process of listening to community leaders and assessing our programs, to figure out how we could align more closely with racial and economic justice efforts. We grounded all of our work in liberation theology, which involves being in deep solidarity with those who live in the margins and we have chosen to adopt a reparative frame for our work. William Appleton, who made his fortune from shipping – with likely connections to the Atlantic Slave Trade – was the first funder of ECM, which also implicates us in slavery.
One of our guiding principles around investment is partnering with BIPOC-led movements and solidarity economy initiatives around the state, [which] are creating sustainable economic models to redistribute power back to Black and Brown communities, and lay the foundation for a meaningful contribution to reparations and solidarity.
What does being a faith-based anchor institution mean to you?
Money and how we relate to it and justice, are talked about everywhere in the Bible. Because we’ve all grown up under the system of capitalism, myself and others are still learning how white supremacy, capitalism, Christian hegemony, and patriarchy shape our mentality and our actions. But, if we’re working on one, we have to understand the others. From a faith-rooted perspective, investing with Ujima allows us to most profoundly live and practice our faith. We’re excited to partner and follow the lead of Ujima and others who are imagining a world where people and planet are prioritized over profit. You all are helping me live and my faith to the core.
What are you most looking forward to when it comes to the future?
Rev. Arrington: I feel so proud of our grantmaking team who transformed our processes using the “resonance” framework from Justice Funders. Our team is so good at reaching out and building relationships with an incredible cohort of folks who will likely receive funding through our Burgess Urban Fund. I’m also very excited about our new director of organizing, the Reverend Edwin Johnson, who will be leading our work to organize Episcopalians. Finally, I look forward to our team continuing to learn as an organization. We have a long way to go as a church with many decisions to make along the way, but I truly believe we’re on the path that will help us to manifest our values most profoundly and follow a God of love and justice. ●
Learn more about Episcopal City Mission and their work to shrink the racial wealth gap in Massachusetts here.
JAMIE MANGIAMELI
New Roots AME Church describes itself as a diverse community committed to living like Jesus by engaging in consistent spiritual practice, building deep community, working for justice and living into liberation.
Jamie Mangiameli, Executive Pastor at New Roots AME Church, is originally from the Chicagoland area, but moved to Boston in 2017. Jamie is passionate about embracing worship with a creative and collaborative posture. As a queer woman in ministry, Jamie is committed to the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in the church and beyond. Paige Curtis spoke with Mangiameli about their journey to intentional investment.
Jamie Mangiameli, Executive Pastor at New Roots AME Church, is originally from the Chicagoland area, but moved to Boston in 2017. Jamie is passionate about embracing worship with a creative and collaborative posture. As a queer woman in ministry, Jamie is committed to the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in the church and beyond. Paige Curtis spoke with Mangiameli about their journey to intentional investment.
Paige Curtis: Tell us about New Roots AME and how it got started.
Jamie Mangiameli: Our tagline at New Roots AME Church is “rethinking what church can be.” New Roots was started in 2018, by Reverend Mariama White-Hammond and a small group of folks who saw a need for spiritual connection and community. Noting the history of harm done by particularly the Christian church as an institution, these folks really thought through the harms that they experienced, and how we might respond by offering a truly diverse space, coming together to ask hard questions, authentic relationships, and a community that is willing to listen to where spirit is stirring.
New Roots has always looked to the natural world as a model and teacher for communication with the divine. In some ways that manifested through the structure of our service, which isn’t the kind of service you can just sit back and watch. It's participatory with a lot of opportunities for engagement and reflection. Because of the pandemic, we offered virtual service which allowed people to join from communities outside of Boston, with moments for small group breakouts that allowed folks to get to know one another. We realize that as a church our function is to facilitate space for people to connect, incubate ideas, and discern what spirit is doing all together.
Why did New Roots AME decide to invest in the Ujima Fund?
One of the emerging visions of New Roots is jubilee-seeking and justice oriented. So the biblical concept of jubilee has been a really important concept for our community. Part of the concept of jubilee is redistribution of funds and valuing rest, which comes up in the Hebrew Bible. But you can also look at the person Jesus was as somebody who practiced radical economics and did a lot of questioning around how those practices have been lost or overlooked.
We ask ourselves what it means for us, as a church rooted in Dorchester, to carry on this legacy of who Jesus was. We realized that extractive capitalism is really antithetical to what the church is called to do. Once our community heard more about Ujima and its focus on local ecosystems, it really got us thinking about how we as individuals have agency in structural change by the choices we make every day.
Everything that we do is a spiritual practice that speaks to our belief system, and that includes where we put our money, time, and energy. Investing in the Ujima Fund and its ecosystem gave us the opportunity to integrate spiritual practice and discipline into what we do with our funds, where folks purchase from, and support local businesses.
Photo courtesy of Jamie Mangiameli.
“Investing in the Ujima Fund and its ecosystem gave us the opportunity to integrate spiritual practice and discipline into what we do with our funds, where folks purchase from, and support local businesses.”
Has the pandemic revealed any changes for New Roots, in terms of how you all define or approach investment?
During the pandemic, we realized the importance of local commitments and relationship building as a spiritual community. What’s so beautiful about the Boston Ujima Project is the accessibility of investments, and the fact that you don't have to be a millionaire to invest. How you use your money and the purchases you make also tie back to investment. We talk a lot more about how our services can be discussion-based, what our values are, and how they're practically aligned or not.
What does being a faith-based anchor institution mean to you?
Well, I understand anchor institutions as cultural centers in one way or another, where people are gathering and figuring out how to do life beyond an individual level. So, our decision to invest in the Ujima Fund was a communal process of people who had very different identities and people who have very different lived experiences. It involved people who have different levels of connection to Boston, people of different ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientation, and gender identity, who came together and agreed that this was an important decision. There were many members of New Roots who were part of the process of making the decision about investing as an institution that then chose to become voting members, solidarity members, or invest on their own. Being a faith-based institution has allowed us to have many points of connection with Ujima, beyond our investment.
What are you most looking forward to when it comes to the future?
New Roots is always asking how we can ignite radical imagination to really live in Jubilee, which involves building authentic relationships, and cultivating trust with people who are very different from yourself. So we’re really looking forward to more opportunities for that to happen. There’s also a real focus on supporting creative endeavors that maybe aren't seated in the church, but are fueled and nourished by the community. We’re also still trying to figure out how to be a community that is rooted in Boston but also is holding communities beyond Boston. So we have some people in Philadelphia, New Hampshire, and Los Angeles that are thinking about what it means to reimagine church in those specific areas. So there are so many things unfolding, from New Roots that aren't being held or guided by any type of central power, which is very different from traditional hierarchical church structure, which is really beautiful. ●
Learn more about New Roots AME Church here.
Steve Dubb
Paige Curtis, Culture & Communications Manager at Ujima, spoke with Steve Dubb, a member of Ujima’s anchor institution member team to discuss how they’ve engaged anchor organizations around Boston.
Steve Dubb is senior editor of economic justice at Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ), where he writes articles (including NPQ’s Economy Remix column), moderates Remaking the Economy webinars, and works to cultivate voices from the field and help them reach a broader audience. Prior to coming to NPQ in 2017, Steve worked with cooperatives and nonprofits for over two decades, including twelve years at The Democracy Collaborative and three years as executive director of North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO). In his work, Steve has authored, co-authored, and edited numerous reports; participated in and facilitated learning cohorts; designed community building strategies; and helped build the field of community wealth building.
Steve Dubb is senior editor of economic justice at Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ), where he writes articles (including NPQ’s Economy Remix column), moderates Remaking the Economy webinars, and works to cultivate voices from the field and help them reach a broader audience. Prior to coming to NPQ in 2017, Steve worked with cooperatives and nonprofits for over two decades, including twelve years at The Democracy Collaborative and three years as executive director of North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO). In his work, Steve has authored, co-authored, and edited numerous reports; participated in and facilitated learning cohorts; designed community building strategies; and helped build the field of community wealth building.
Paige Curtis: I’m really interested in your experience organizing anchor institutions. Where did that start, and what you learned from the experience?
Steve Dubb: When I was a graduate student at the University of California, San Diego, the university tried to shut down a worker cooperative, of which I was a member. We ended up suing the university in superior court and winning because they were trying to forcibly evict us even though we had a lease. Then, there was a whole two-year-long political campaign.
But really, throughout history, there have been efforts to make universities, hospitals, etc responsible to the communities they’re in – whether they’re state-owned, private, or nonprofits. I went on to work with the Democracy Collaborative and published a study called “Linking Colleges to Communities” in 2007, and later published a book with Rita Hodges called The Road Half Traveled. As a result, Rita and I came up with this idea of an anchor mission and defined an anchor institution as one that sees its purpose, or part of its purpose, [as] benefit[ing] the community, both out of self-interest and for social justice reasons. So anchors who accept this mission should align their educational work, public outreach, research, and economic activities to serve the community.
“Overall, we raised about $200,000 [for] the Ujima Fund through the anchor network, so it’s significant.”
Are there any anchor institutions you’ve gotten to invest in the Ujima Fund or contribute to our work in some way?
We’ve found that churches because they tend to be smaller organizations, mission-based, and very rooted in their communities, are more aligned with our goals on the anchor institution member team. Some Unitarian churches and Kavod, a Jewish social justice group in Boston, have ministries more oriented around equity and justice, so many have either donated or become investors in the Ujima Fund. Overall, we raised about $200,000 [for] the Ujima Fund through the anchor network, so it’s significant. We want to turn to hospitals and universities eventually, but so far we’ve worked where there was the most opportunity and interest.
Can you tell us about your work around PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) and how it connects to Ujima’s mission?
If anchor institutions could be made to benefit the public, that would be powerful, which is where PILOT legislation comes in. So I’m a part of the PILOT Action Group, a coalition of people and organizations working to get nonprofit institutions to pay their fair share of property taxes. PILOT stands for Payment in Lieu of Taxes, which allows nonprofits who are tax exempt to pay 25% of their potential property taxes based on their 2010 tax assessment, and offset 50% of their payment with a “community benefit” that is supposed to target residents of the city. But these PILOT contributions often go unpaid by institutions like Northeastern University, Boston College, Harvard University, and Boston University.
I liaise between the PILOT action group and Ujima, to help set organizing priorities around housing, education, health, and transportation to ensure the community has a say in what counts as a “community benefit.”
What are you most looking forward to when it comes to what the anchor institution member team has planned?
As more businesses join the Ujima Good Business Alliance, receive investments and become embedded in the ecosystem, then the vision of a thriving Black economy sourced from local institutions and capital becomes more possible.
We do want to have deep conversations with allies within hospitals and universities down the line. In the meantime, within the faith network, there’s the opportunity to see Ujima become part of this growing solidarity economy network, so the power of the ecosystem becomes amplified, and these deeper ties become transformative. ●
Learn more about the anchor institution team here.
Kush Groove
The Kush Groove brand was established in 2011 by Michael Pires and Marcus Johnson-Smith as an expression brand for city stoners. City streets, all over the world, have seen the growth of the new age urban hippie—young, fresh, and dynamic. The Kush Groove brand is a blend of style and culture, expressed through an urban fashion savvy.
Recently, Kush Groove was invited to join the Ujima Good Business Alliance, which consists of an interview process that verifies that local organizations are operationalizing social justice through our minimum 36 Good Business Standards.
Recently, Kush Groove was invited to join the Ujima Good Business Alliance, which consists of an interview process that verifies that local organizations are operationalizing social justice through our minimum 36 Good Business Standards.
Following their acceptance into the Ujima Good Business Alliance, Paige Curtis, Culture & Communications Manager at Ujima caught up with Marcus Johnson-Smith, co-founder at Kush Groove, to learn more about their commitment to equity within the cannabis space.
Paige Curtis: Can you talk about the need for a business like Kush Groove in Boston?
Marcus Johnson-Smith: I think the need really came from wanting to create a platform for myself and my partner to express ourselves and others who enjoy cannabis products. Our business is merchandise and accessories within the cannabis lifestyle space.
What was it like to start this business?
Marcus: So at the time we founded this company, I was around 25 years old and just getting out of graduate school. But I had pursued other entrepreneurial ideas before this, and so had my partner. So Kush Groove happened after previous attempts at starting a business.
What are you most excited about in regards to joining the business alliance?
Marcus: We’re most excited by the level of community for entrepreneurs, because we've operated as a business really focused on the communities we serve. But we haven't spent too much time as entrepreneurs in Boston’s entrepreneurial community. The Alliance allows us to be part of a community of other entrepreneurs who look like us, or are working on similar businesses in the neighborhoods that we operate in.
What are your long term goals for Kush Groove?
The brand is so multifaceted and we kind of look at it as having cannabis retail at the center of our enterprise business model, and with other extensions of the business – merchandise and accessories – under the same brand umbrella. That’s really where our focus is long term.
Anything upcoming for the business that you’d like to share?
We'll be opening our first cannabis dispensary in September, and a second one in December or early 2023. So we'll be selling cannabis products and Kush Groove branded merchandise and accessories. So that'll be our newest retail operation. We had two retail operations in the past, but we closed those to consolidate our retail businesses. We’ve been at the forefront of urban cannabis brands for a long time, so it’s exciting to see our vision come to fruition. ■
Ujima Good Business Alliance is committed to advancing social and economic justice through the public and private sectors. The Alliance is a powerful platform for local businesses to connect, cooperate, and shine. As a member, companies receive support and resources to help them thrive. Learn more about the Alliance at www.ujimaboston.com/ugba.
CommonWealth Kitchen
CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) is a collaborative community working to strengthen the local economy, particularly for people who have been impacted by racial, social, and economic inequality. They offer shared kitchens with integrated business assistance, creating and growing dynamic food-based businesses and careers.
Recently, CommonWealth Kitchen was invited to join the Ujima Good Business Alliance, which consists of an interview process that verifies that local organizations are operationalizing social justice through our minimum 36 Good Business Standards.
Recently, CommonWealth Kitchen was invited to join the Ujima Good Business Alliance, which consists of an interview process that verifies that local organizations are operationalizing social justice through our minimum 36 Good Business Standards.
Following their acceptance into the Ujima Good Business Alliance, Paige Curtis, Culture & Communications Manager at Ujima, caught up with Bonnie Rosenbaum, Communications Director at CommonWealth Kitchen, to learn more about CWK’s commitment to inclusive entrepreneurship.
Paige Curtis: Can you talk about the need for an endeavor like CommonWealth Kitchen in Boston?
Bonnie Rosenbaum: On the surface, it seems like getting into the food industry is simple. If you know how to cook, have a passion, and some family recipes, it might seem like there are low barriers [to] entry. But the food business is incredibly complex. You need to know everything from permitting and regulations to knowing how to label your product; then there’s operating machinery, marketing, and access to markets.
The food industry is so complex, so we're here to address the first big barrier which is access to a commercial kitchen. But we also help with all the other aspects folks don’t think about when starting a food company, like business coaching, help with distribution, sourcing, etc.
Food businesses suffered during the pandemic. How did CommonWealth Kitchen adapt to meet the needs of the businesses you support?
When the pandemic hit, like everyone else, we were forced to shut down immediately. Then we realized that we had an incredible facility with the ability to cook large quantities of food, and we knew food access would be a challenge for people. So we started an emergency food program during COVID called CommonTable.
We partnered with the Boston Housing Authority and over 30 BIPOC-owned small businesses in Boston to supply meals to residents in need. That allowed us to both support our businesses, by compensating them for these meals which allowed them to keep their employees on while helping the broader community. We ran this program for a good portion of the pandemic and may operate a similar program over Thanksgiving.
The Ujima network is an extension of this philosophy we have around everyone chipping in. It’s not a zero-sum game; if everyone helps each other, we’re all in a better position.
What are you most excited about in regards to joining the Ujima Good Business Alliance?
Two things come to mind. First, the focus on procurement is directly aligned with what we're working on at CWK. There are so many large institutions in Boston that need to procure products, but so many people are left out of those opportunities. Healthcare and academic institutions are power players in Boston, so if they could support our businesses, we would be in good shape.
The second exciting aspect for us is Ujima’s broader network and ecosystem. Our kitchen has a similar ecosystem where everyone helps each other out. From very simple things like a new baker telling an older baker how to best use our ovens to make their cakes, to someone who maybe has a food truck, and wants to carry tea from another member business. There's all this nice cross-pollination, both in terms of teaching and sourcing products from other businesses. The Ujima network is an extension of this philosophy we have around everyone chipping in. It’s not a zero-sum game; if everyone helps each other, we’re all in a better position. And, it’s just good business.
Years ago, when we were talking about our organizational values and how we want to grow, we looked at Ujima’s 36 Good Business Standards and decided we wanted to shoot for those. We didn't know if we'd get there, but it was important for us to have that North Star.
What are some short and long term goals for CWK?
We move so fast that one year can feel like a millennium here. We want to keep growing our network so that every year we have more companies that graduate. We also just bought our building this year, which offers us more creative ways to support our businesses. We also want to keep growing our partnerships.
We have a partnership right now with MIT where three immigrant-owned businesses have kiosks in MIT’s student center. Instead of paying a fixed rent each month, these businesses pay a percentage of their sales. So if it's a slow month, the businesses aren't getting slammed financially. We view this approach as a more humane way of helping businesses get started. Ultimately, our vision is a Boston with a thriving business ecosystem that reflects the broader city.
Anything exciting upcoming for CWK that you’d like to share?
We plan on offering our gift boxes again this year, but bigger and better with more companies featured. These boxes make great holiday gifts, and it’s a tangible way for people and corporations to support small businesses. ■
Bonnie Rosenbaum is the Director of Communications at CommonWealth Kitchen. Learn more about Commonwealth Kitchen at commonwealthkitchen.org
Ujima Good Business Alliance is committed to advancing social and economic justice through the private sector. The Alliance is a powerful platform for local businesses to connect, cooperate, and shine. As a member, companies receive support and resources to help them thrive. Learn more about the Alliance at www.ujimaboston.com/ugba.