Examining the sustainability of a community-led job creation initiative: Building capacity and raising black-consciousness through partnerships

This case study examines a community-led job creation initiative (JCI) in the Midwest, which has created over 1,000 livable-wage jobs in underserved Black neighborhoods for over 10 years. Through our direct observation and testimonial interviews with JCI members and local business owners, the study identifies diversified and multi-functional partnerships as crucial for the capital needed to sustain their mission. We explicitly depict how partnerships with local nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions uniquely contribute to the JCI, and we recommend what is needed to strengthen synergy and capacity-building across partnerships. Overall, the findings challenge and reinforce existing community development theories (e.g. sustainable livelihood approach, community capital framework, and the solidarity economy framework), suggesting that community-led economic development initiatives should not operate in isolation. This case study also highlights how Black community leaders and activists collaborate with predominantly White institutions and White allies to support local-level racial equity.