Everything Co-op With Vernon Oakes

Vernon Oakes and John Holdsclaw honor the memory of Ralph Paige, with many listeners, who call into the Everything Co-op to pay tribute to this tireless Civil Rights leader. Mr. Paige was the former director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. He was a consummate advocate for disenfranchised farmers, worked tirelessly to keep families and farmers on their land, and constantly promoted a more just system of agriculture. Mr. Paige played a major role in creating cooperatives encompassing many sectors, including: credit unions, agricultural, housing and worker cooperatives and alternative agricultural development for minority farmers. He worked for the Federation for more than 45 years from 1969, and served as Executive Director for thirty years from 1985 to 2015. Initially, Mr. Paige worked as a field organizer developing cooperatives among family farmers and rural residents in Georgia and throughout the South. He led measures to secure new public and private resources to support cooperative develop