Tune into WOL 1450 AM, 95.9 FM or the WOL Livestream on Thursday, January 15 at 10:30 a.m. ESTfor Everything Co-op, hosted by Vernon Oakes.

Listen live

During the first segment, Vernon interviews Stacey Sutton, PhD., Associate Professor of Urban Planning & Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago. Dr. Sutton and Vernon will discuss how cooperatives and solidarity economies can transform cities and advance racial and economic justice.

In the second segment, Vernon considers the relationship between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s moral and economic philosophy, the African humanist principle of Ubuntu, and the role of cooperative economics in advancing what Dr. King described as the "beloved community."

Stacey Suttonis an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she also directs the Solidarity Economy Research, Policy & Law Project and serves as Director of Applied Research and Strategic Partnerships for UIC's Social Justice Initiative. Her work focuses on community economic development, economic democracy, worker-owned cooperatives, solidarity economies, and racial and economic justice. Dr. Sutton's research explores how local governments and grassroots movements can support cooperative ownership and equitable economic systems, as well as how punitive urban policies disproportionately affect marginalized communities. She is the author of research on "cooperative cities" and leads the Real Black Utopias project examining Black-centered solidarity economy ecosystems. Dr. Sutton holds a PhD in Urban Planning and Sociology from Rutgers University, an MBA from New York University, a master's degree from the New School for Social Research, and a bachelor's degree from Loyola University.