Federation of Southern Cooperatives
Naomi Thompkins currently serves as the Cooperative Development Fellow at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, focusing on supporting rural, limited-resource Black communities through cooperative education and business plan development. Prior to this role, Naomi worked as a Student Economic Research Consultant at the World Trade Centers Association, conducting market research and creating economic research presentations. Additionally, Naomi held various leadership positions at New York University and interned at organizations like the Northwest Arkansas NAACP and NYC Administration for Children's Services, gaining experience in event planning, media content creation, and economic development initiatives. Naomi holds a degree in Black Political Economy from New York University.
Federation of Southern Cooperatives
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund is a 55-year-old non-profit cooperative association of black farmers, landowners, and cooperatives. Our mission is to be a catalyst for the development of self-supporting communities through cooperative economic development, land retention, and advocacy. What We Do: (1) Develop cooperatives and credit unions as a means for people to enhance the quality of their lives and improve their communities (2) Save, protect, and expand the landholdings of Black farmers and other underserved farmers in the South (3) Develop, advocate and support public policies to benefit our membership The Federation is also supported by grassroots organizations and corporate sponsors who are on a mission to create economic freedom and racial equity. Currently, there are over 70 active cooperative member groups, themselves with a membership of more than 20,000 families working together across ten southern states, with a concentration in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.