Meet the Blackshires
Community Empowerment Foundation
Our Mission
The Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation aims to provide resources and networking support to both established and emerging community leaders whom endeavor to expand their community impact. By removing barriers to success and encouraging a cooperative framework, the next generation of community leaders will be more connected and skilled in the ongoing development and revitalization of our community and it’s families.
We’re a community-focused organization led by people of color, here to empower and enrich the Black community in the Berkshires and surrounding areas. By creating the Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation, our goal is to help build a strong and healthy economic ecosystem while also providing community empowerment opportunities for current and future leaders and organizations. We understand the struggles and frustrations that many in our community face, and our cooperative framework is designed to help develop the skills and capacities needed to create a vibrant and resilient network of support. So come join us and let’s work together to create a brighter future for our community!
Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation was born out of the 2020 ID3A Jam, which highlighted the unique challenges and economic landscape facing Black professionals and businesses in the Berkshires. This event served as a starting point for generating ideas for community socio-economic development opportunities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted the existing digital and business infrastructure gaps that have prevented Black businesses and community leaders from expanding opportunities and building assets in the community. Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation aims to address these issues through resources, networking and leadership development opportunities.
Our Methodology
Our approach to our strategic priorities are centered around building a Black cooperative ecosystem that focuses on ownership ecology and Black institutional development. We believe that by empowering our community to take ownership of their own socio-economic development and invest in infrastructure and pipeline building, we can create a more sustainable and resilient ecosystem for the Black community in the Berkshires.
The Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation has identified several strategic priorities as key components of Black success. These include:
The establishment of the Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation Corporation, incorporated on November 22, 2021, as a non-profit platform for Black cooperative empowerment.
The launch of the Cooperative Platform for Community Empowerment (Blackshires.net) as a centralized digital space for connecting with and supporting Black-owned businesses in the Berkshire County region. This aims to address the communication gap that existed during the COVID-19 pandemic and to support the call for more economic support for African American businesses.
This program aims to promote the contributions of emerging Black leaders and community stewards through networking events, education, and technical training. It also aims to build the necessary infrastructure to assist in creating strong Black leadership by connecting professionals to support services, resources training, and capital for community empowerment projects for the Berkshire Black community.
The creation of a Community Development Corporation for Local Housing and Development investments. This aims to promote resident ownership and controllership over the revitalization of their neighborhoods, promoting social cohesion within and without the Black community through community focus groups, relationship building, and skills training.
The Establishment of a Cooperative Land Trust, which aims to ensure that Black families have a legacy of wealth sustainability through land ownership as a valuable resource to build affordable housing, community gardens, community centers, and commercial real estate opportunities to ensure a leafy of wealth transfer for generations to come.
The creation of Regional Black CryptoCurrency to incentivize commerce on the Blockchain. This aims to provide a new platform for Black-owned products and services to be featured and promoted and to encourage greater support for the Black community.
All of these strategic priorities are grounded in the Blackshires’ values of Equity, Collaboration, Diversity, Inclusion, Self Determination, and Transparency and are aimed at addressing the question of
‘What does a Black person do to increase access to resources and privileges they now have as a result of the ongoing work of the Blackshires?’
