On June 13 and 14, 2016 in Washington, DC, many of the nation’s leading experts in employee ownership, sustainable business and finance, community and economic development, and philanthropy came together in a Learning + Design session. Co-hosts for the meeting were Marjorie Kelly and Jessica Bonanno of The Democracy Collaborative and Camille Kerr of Democracy at Work Institute. The purpose of the session was to discuss how to achieve unprecedented scale of employee ownership by focusing on achieving an audacious goal: 50 million U.S. employee-owners by 2050. This report summarizes and expands upon the June meeting:
Participants were asked “What are your motivations for doing this work?”
Creating a new economy...
- An inclusive economy where everyone can thrive
- An economy that is human-centered and fair
- A democratic economy as a more just economic system
- A revitalized American dream
- An economy without such drastic wealth inequality
- A society and economy built on broader values, drawing from collective wisdom and voice
...one that alleviates poverty
- Where no one experiences the indignity of being poor
- Social and economic justice for underserved communities
- Transforming the lives and increasing wealth among of low-wage workers and workers of color
- Too many children and families living in poverty
- Creating economic power and wealth among communities of color through business ownership
- Prevent another loss of wealth in communities of color... Read the full report on the 50x50 Initiative's website.