This week Vernon interviews Melbah McAfee Smith, Retired Executive Director of the Mississippi Center for Cooperative Development, and a 2009 inductee into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. Vernon and Melbah will discuss challenges and opportunities for co-op development in African-American communities, and how the cooperative model can be used to address societal problems in many communities today.

Melbah worked for nearly 40 years as a trusted co-op developer in some of the most impoverished areas of the country. She started her career with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, returning to her home state to lead the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives and the Mississippi Cooperative Development Center. Her visionary leadership and hands-on, grassroots approach to building communities have helped bring health care, economic development, and social justice to people in need through the cooperative model.

Don’t miss this opportunity to witness a true legend. Watch Ms. Smith’s Hall of Fame induction video, highlighting her extensive career in the cooperative movement below:

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