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Welcome to the Ujima Staff WIRE! The Staff WIRE is an extension of our monthly #CO-DIRECT meeting, which happens on the first Wednesday of each month, meant to update and provide a consistent window of opportunity for Ujima members to see and participate in key activities led by staff within the Ujima Ecosystem. The Ujima Staff WIRE is a monthly publication.
Jazz Urbane Cafe Investment Vote
Earlier this week we opened voting for our our latest investment opportunity, Jazz Urbane Cafe, a new arts and restaurant venture planned to launch in Fall 2022 in Nubian Square.
The Ujima Fund Management Team is proposing an investment in Jazz Urbane Cafe in the amount of $200,000, over 6 years, with an expected annual return of 13% via pro-rata distribution to equity owners.
This ballot will be open until Friday, April 8, 2022. If you would like to volunteer to Phone Bank for this vote, reach out to us at comms@ujimaboston.com to get involved.
April 2022 Assembly
Next month, we are launching our first assembly of the year! This assembly is all about Black Recreation, a term we are using to describe all the ways we work, play, and find joy in public and private spaces. Our April workshops will feature a number of speakers who will discuss Black public life, pools, play, and more.
More details about the assembly will be released in the coming weeks.
Over the past few months, we've been hard at work developing a Ujima's board, which we hope can be ratified by members at an assembly in late 2022. The makeup, and members, of the board will reflect all parts of the Ujima ecosystem.
This year, the Ujima Fund set an ambitious goal to make seven to ten investments, valuing about $1-1.25 million.
On March 4, we announced our 2022 Voting and Investment Program, which oriented Voting Members to our plans for the year, and detailed updates to our investment process. In the letter, we discuss our Voter Affirmation Form, Personalized Investment Plans, and more.
Two highlights from the letter include a new Ujima Delegate Program, and a New Member Orientation.
The Ujima Delegate Program would ease the burden of voting and investment list ratification on members. We envision delegates to be Voting Members who desire more involvement in the investment planning and voting process.
New Member Orientation is a quarterly meeting offers new and existing members more support in getting oriented to the Ujima ecosystem. The sessions are intended for members who want to to learn more about Ujima, member teams, and voting at Ujima. Sign up to get updates.
In February, we launched our new monthly series, If You Know You Know Wednesdays, a BIPOC-only meeting space for Ujima members and supporters. This month, we featured Renee Hatcher, who presented an offering on the history of racial capitalism.
#IYKYKWenesdays will continue every second Wednesday, monthly. If you would like to RSVP for our next session, on April 13 6PM-7:15PM, email us at comms@ujimaboston.com.
Cousins Timebank Update
Our "Cousins" Timebank Member Team has been brainstorming new ways for Ujima members, and our wider public, to engage. Over the next few months, they will be working to transform their member team meetings (every second Wednesday) into a meet-up space for mutual aid groups and other Time Banks to learn and work together.
If you're interested in planning events, working cooperatively, or time banking in general, join our next meeting on Wednesday April 13th at 7:15PM EST.
Racial Capitalism Workshops
This month at Ujima Wednesdays we've been studying Racial Capitalism with scholars such as Destin Jenkins and Renee Hatcher.
Next Wednesday, you can join us for our final workshop with Kyera Singleton, who will discuss slave economies and its impact on Boston.
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