The Power of Neighborhood Economics

Dorothy's Place

About two years ago, I attended a conference with the intriguing title “Neighborhood Economics.” The event turned out to be a national meetup of practitioners, funders, and advocates, among them the three folks I interviewed for this conversation.

Best of all, over the three days, I met three of the most innovative thinker-activists in the solidarity movement. I’ve brought them together here for a conversation about where their work is going lately.

Michael Shuman is the publisher of the Main Street Journal and a well-known advocate for investing in local economies, Stephanie Swepson Twitty is the president and CEO of Eagle Market Streets Community Development Corporation in Ashville NC, and Kevin Jones is a co-founder of SOCAP and Neighborhood Economics.

They share a passion for democratizing an area many activists tend to ignore as a power source: finance and investing. In our conversation, you’ll hear about this great work of devising ways to bring catalytic capital down to the grassroots level in order to build racial equity and regenerate neighborhoods.

For more interviews with Michael, Stephanie, and Kevin, you can also visit The Mindful Marketplace’s YouTube show, which has partnered with the Main Street Journal, Impact Alpha, and Neighborhood Economics.

See you next time—peace.

Get full access to Solidarity Hall at solidarityhall.substack.com/subscribe