March 7, 2025
Civics
Communities have long responded to injustice with ingenuity.
Leigh Anne Hilbert, Development Director at Sew Co., also serves as the Community and Education Coordinator at the Carolina Textile District. Cooperative structures like the District provide an inspirational example of the type of regional networks that could grow and flourish throughout the country.
Leigh Anne Hilbert, Development Director at Sew Co., also serves as the Community and Education Coordinator at the Carolina Textile District. Cooperative structures like the District provide an inspirational example of the type of regional networks that could grow and flourish throughout the country.
What if the solutions to our greatest challenges were already around us? This idea stems from a belief that the wisdom to transform our world exists in our communities. It’s in mutual aid networks, cooperatives fostering economic democracy, and movements reclaiming land and sovereignty.
Amid ecological collapse and rising inequality, these stories and tools are urgently needed. The challenges feel overwhelming, but we're not starting from scratch. Communities have long responded to injustice with ingenuity, laying groundwork for solidarity economies.
Examples include Conflict Kitchen, which sparked dialogue across divides, and the Carolina Textile District, which transformed to produce medical supplies during COVID-19. These stories are part of Beautiful Solutions: A Toolbox for Liberation, a rallying cry for those ready to resist repression and build a better world. This collection, born from grassroots experiences, shows that a more just and democratic world is not only possible—it’s being built.
YES Magazine selected these inspiring examples of solutions being implemented today.
ARTICLE: The Power of Beautiful Solutions
RELATED ARTICLE: Benefitting Climate & Communities: How Clothing Cooperatives Could Grow Equitable Regional Economies
