Boston Ujima Project

Taking its name from the Swahili Kwanzaa principle for “collective work and responsibility,” the Boston Ujima Project is working to organize Greater Boston area neighbors, workers, business owners, and investors to create a community-controlled economy. Specific strategies it seeks to employ include the creation of a “Good Business and Real Estate” certification, a community controlled investment fund, a worker empowerment network, and an alternative local currency. In the summer of 2016, the group held its first Ujima Solidarity Summit, at which over 175 people pooled over $20,000 to invest in five black and immigrant-owned local businesses.