The U.S. Solidarity Economy Network (USSEN) brings together diverse social movements in the United States that are developing cooperative and post-capitalist forms of democratic economic governance, social and racial justice, sustainability, and electoral reform. We are aligned with the international Solidarity Economy (SE) movement and committed to core radical values and the practices that bring them to life. We actively work toward systemic transformation through dialogue, relationship building, and collective action.
In recent years, USSEN’s focus has been on helping to incubate the Resist and Build movement-building process, weaving connections between solidarity economy and organizations of systemic change movements. After a powerful convergence in May 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia, several self-organized formations emerged, called Action Circles, for example:
Each Circle is developing a work plan relevant to its focus. The Resist and Build Narrative Circle is organizing a webinar series related to the Imaginal Cells of the Solidarity Economy.
Four sessions have already been held:
The theme of the next episode of the Imaginal Cells of the Solidarity Economy series will be Solidarity Economy and Community Wealth Building with Emily Kawano (USSEN, MASEN, Wellspring Cooperative) and Neil McInroy from Democracy Collaborative. Additional webinars will take place every 2–3 months.
Members of the USSEN/Resist and Build network actively participated in the Next System Convergence, which took place on September 4–5. https://nextsystem.org/convergence/
Sessions included, for example: Building State and Regional SE Networks; Comparing People’s Assemblies and Citizens’ Assemblies; and Building Liberated Zones: Applying the Solidarity Economy Framework. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrFE8GFuZltEcMb0JntddjsEpMqS10ozd
Other activities that USSEN/Resist and Build have been involved in include: Solidarity Economy 101 trainings — some of them can be found here: https://ussen.org/resources/tools/
Numerous articles related to our work have been published in Nonprofit Quarterly on a variety of topics: https://nonprofitquarterly.org/?s=solidarity+economy&submit=Search
The formations of the USSEN / Resist and Build network are also on the move! The People’s Network for Land and Liberation is actively building cooperative, regenerative, and balanced systems from the ground up, with a focus on community land care. For more information, see: Organizing for the Long Haul: How to Build a Network for Land and Liberation. We have also been strengthening our collaborations in the U.S., such as with Democracy Beyond Elections and New Economy Coalition, and globally with RIPESS and International Progressive.
The need for commitment, activism, and building is greater than ever, and more and more people are getting involved.