A Letter from KeAnna- Creating Change for Co-op Dayton
"Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident– it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better." - King Whitney Jr.
2024 marks year eight of Co-op Dayton’s existence. The number eight also signifies new beginnings. As we all know by now, it is a season of new beginnings for Co-op Dayton, exciting beginnings. I am honored to be joining the Co-op Dayton team as we usher in the next chapter and organic evolution. This transition is extra special for me because I have served on the Co-op Dayton board for the last 7 years, as an active board member in different roles. And I have grown to love this organization and what it stands for.
I’m excited to be joining Co-op Dayton as a Co-Executive Director with an emphasis on stabilization and organizational transformation. Having served as a board member gives me a unique vantage point to serve this beloved organization well. I’ve had more of an outside/in perspective and now I have an inside/out perspective in executing how we consistently live into our vision: as Black and working-class Daytonians, we will be able to look to each other to emerge our collective hope and create our shared future. To live into this vision means a mindset shift is pertinent. We must move from an individualistic standard to an interconnectedness standard; from silo to village. The time is now to come together and co-create together.
Not only is this a special transition, it is also a powerful transition because this is a Godly assignment for me. What this means is that I was led and voluntold to rise to the occasion of accepting this leadership role by God. A lot of people know that I left Dayton in June of 2022 to return back to St. Louis, my beloved second home. In April of 2023, God told me to go home and that Dayton was my assignment. He didn’t show me that He was the orchestrator of this opportunity until months later of being back home. The first assignment was being obedient to the call, the second was to assume this position. As I’ve been on a journey of surrendering and being obedient to the call over my life for the last 3 years, I was put to the test when this opportunity came. I’ll be honest because I’m a truth teller, I said no to several people multiple times. However, every time I said no, I also felt an internal conviction. That conviction was disobedience to the call. So, because I had been working on answering the call, I finally gave it some real thought and decided to oblige. I’m grateful that I did, because here we are today. I share this to emphasize that I don’t take this assignment lightly, and community support is needed and appreciated as we take Co-op Dayton to the next level.
I thank Lela and the entire Co-op Dayton team, and all previous members for paving the way in this very impactful and revolutionary work. For being brave, bold, and persistent in contributing to an alternative reality to the status quo way of living. An alternative that is just, equitable, and democratic vs exploitative, extractive, and divided. An alternative reality that offers more people a quality of life that is dignified and encourages self determination. I thank my predecessors for their vision, their advocacy, and their dedication to this movement. And I look forward to continuing this work. This next chapter signifies the second ring in the ripple effect. We’re about to make big waves in this next chapter. Stay tuned.
As a macro social worker who specializes in social and economic development, I believe wholeheartedly that I am well positioned to help take Co-op Dayton to the next level. From expanding our reach and impact to creating organizational structures that become models for communities and other work spaces. I am most excited about modeling what healthy balance and boundaries look like in the workplace and in community– embodying what it means and looks like to be holistically well in our purpose, principles, and practices.
I’m bringing 10 years of experience in building and developing ecosystems. I have significantly contributed to both Dayton and St. Louis’s entrepreneurial ecosystems by way of activating, connecting, and transforming them. DEI, black economic prosperity, and healing has been foundational in my work, as well as creating access points to information, opportunities, and relevant people to move the needle forward for all of the “unders”: underserved, underprivileged, and under resourced.
Together, with my stellar Co-Executive Directors, Cherrelle Gardner and amaha sellassie, we will hone in on our worker-owner and community-owned cooperative incubation and development, strengthen our organizing and outreach efforts to activate and move our community into the just economy, and become a household name for community transformation by continuing to meet the needs of our community. We look forward to continuing to co-build a robust solidarity ecosystem with our community partners.
With love + light,
KeAnna Daniels