Power
Building
Our Voices, Our Communities: Building Solidarity Economies Together
Organize with fellow artists, healers, cooperatives, and small business owners to influence local policy and grow just economies.
[ Power Building ]
Calling All BIWOC Entrepreneurs…
Your business is more than a brand –it's a force for transformation and reimagining. Now is the time to bring that same power to your city and county in community with Just BE. We believe that economic justice for our self-employed community requires a voice in shaping the systems that impact us and our families. We build power within our progressive business ecosystem to ensure we are ALL taken care of.
WHY POWERBUILDING MATTERS
For BIWOC Entreprenuers
As federal small business resources continue to be cut, our local support systems are all the more important during these uncertain times. Local policies affect everything – from permits and public funding to transportation, commercial property, safety, and access to capital. Yet, too often, women of color micro-business owners are left out of rooms where decisions are made. As pillars of innovation and culture, this exclusion is deeply problematic.
Your Lived Experience = Policy Transformation
You know your city’s and community’s challenges – and its power. As a woman of color, small business owner, your insights are essential to building more just, equitable, and responsive local policies. When you show up, change shows up with you.s
We’re Here to Support You
Not sure where to start? We’re building a network of women of color entrepreneurs ready to learn, lead, and mobilize — together. Join workshops, connect with local advocates, and get the tools to engage with purpose and impact. We’re also rallying support for childcare, meals, and transportation — because taking action should be accessible to everyone.
How to Get Involved + Take Your Seat at the Table
Just BE organizes small business owners in both Oakland and Richmond, California. Due to capacity, we are currently focused on organizing in Oakland in partnership with the REAL People’s Organizing Collective (RPOC).
RPOC is a collective of progressive small business owners and cooperatives that mobilize to ensure the City of Oakland is prioritizing the needs of our most vulnerable economic corridors and communities. We attend city council hearings and budget meetings, engage in direct action, and political education. All are welcome to join, whether you are new to organizing or a veteran.
Join by scheduling a 1:1 info session with Jeneba Kilgore, the RPOC/ NoBAWC Liaison
Community
Blessings
Just BE has been integral to my entrepreneurship journey because simply put, the team and the community has been there from the beginning. I got seriously practical and empathetic advice when I was just dreaming up my first side-hustle small biz, Hey Ma Goods Co. and that encouragement empowered me to get going. I had the most fun and felt the most seen at their regular social meetups and to top it off, I was truly honored when they bet on me to design the brand identity for their 2020 For the Culture virtual holiday market—to date, it is one of my proudest portfolio pieces. They have seen me grow, cheered me on, and supported me like only Black women can.
Brittany Luby
OWNER, HEY MA CREATIVE