Our Hubs – Power to Prosper

Power to Prosper: A Recap On How Communities Are Building Wealth Through Ownership

Power To Prosper — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:27:01 +0000

Written By: Margaret Welsh

How is Community Organising Tackling Economic Inequality in the UK?

Public discourse is dominated today by malevolent forces pushing the topsy-turvy idea that racialised minorities are given preferential treatment in the country. Politicians seem unable to counteract this idea and instead allow migrants and people of colour to be scapegoated.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth: a new report, presented for the first time in Birmingham last month, uses novel research techniques to show how the way our economy has been designed, and the UK’s colonial history, work in combination to push racialised minorities into poverty and problem debt.

Black and Brown communities are far less likely to own wealth than white communities. When you don’t have assets or wealth to rely on, your ability to get by becomes far more precarious. And when you can’t rely on the economic system to serve you, you have to build an alternative. That’s what was happening at the Power to Prosper 2026 summer action meet-up in Birmingham: dozens of community leaders gathered at the Legacy Centre, the largest Black business and arts centre in Europe, to share how community organising and ownership can help marginalised communities build wealth and power.

A recap on our recent Summer Action Meetup (2026)

Why Ownership Matters

Keith Shayaam-Smith, CEO of the Legacy Centre, spoke about the importance of Black and Brown communities owning their own facilities, so their existence can be maintained. For Keith, the loss of community facilities built by the Windrush generation is like losing an elder.

Land expert Amahra Spence explained how, when local authorities like Birmingham need to save money, the first item on the agenda is to sell off assets like libraries, youth centres and health centres. When we lose these facilities, we lose the livelihoods of those working there and the social infrastructure which forms the foundation of people’s lives.

For Amahra, if a community owns the land that their facilities are built on, then they have control over their facilities for the long term. And this was something echoed by community leaders from around the country: community ownership of community centres, youth centres and playgrounds gives those facilities safety, security and the ability to plan for the long term. A landlord cannot force communities out through lease changes and a local authority cannot decide to sell the land out from under you.

Communities Building Power Across the Country

In Glasgow, the diverse working-class community in Govanhill now own Govanhill Baths, a wellbeing and arts centre. The community is often underestimated and not seen as expert enough to run their facilities – but, as Glasgow leader Fatima Uygun put it, “If a single mum can run a household, she can run a building.”

In Lambeth, the Loughborough Community Centre at Max Roach was founded in the aftermath of the Brixton Riots in 1981 to give children a safe space to play, learn and thrive. But the centre is coming to the end of a 10-year lease and is trying to persuade the local authority that they need a longer-term lease in order to invest in the physical building.

In Newham, leaders are working to secure a permanent space for community organisations to operate from. They have turned a derelict empty playground into a community hub and are now in discussions to own the land itself, rather than rely on a succession of short-term leases.

In Nottingham, community leaders are trying to buy a handful of buildings to host community organisations – and have already succeeded in acquiring one. When organisations rely on landlords for their buildings, racist attitudes mean landlords may not believe the community is fit to run the building. Asset ownership would protect the community from this.

In Manchester, 10 organisations led by Black, first-generation immigrant women have acquired a “forever home” with no mortgage. The organisations – which serve first-generation immigrants from cradle to grave – can now kick off their shoes and feel grounded.

In Birmingham, local groups want to build affordable housing for Black and “Global Majority” women fleeing domestic abuse. These women often fall outside normal funding options for support and struggle to access social housing – but if they had the opportunity to live in affordable housing, they could work towards becoming economically self-sufficient.

Organising for Change

These hubs around the country are also energised by local community organising campaigns. In Glasgow, the Govanhill community is calling for a dedicated permanent building to serve local young people. In Lambeth, community organising has supported organisations made homeless by the sell-off of International House and the bid for community ownership of Brixton Market. In Newham, campaigners have built relationships with the new mayor and all three Newham MPs, making free school meals for all secondary school pupils a major issue in the recent local elections. In Nottingham, leaders are working with the city council to secure land for a community centre which has lain disused and earmarked for development for years. And in Manchester, the community is building a campaign to secure meaningful employment for “Global Majority” communities, outside of the “three Cs” they are normally pushed into: cleaning, care and catering.

Building for the Future

In a world of growing far-right forces, where wealth is increasingly concentrated at the top, communities around the country are working to build wealth and demand better.

Power to Prosper has almost reached the end of its planned three years. The programme is not just about eliminating poverty and debt – it’s about building something for the future. Beyond just improving the social security system or the jobs market, racialised communities need assets and power for future generations.

Power to Prosper: Building a new economy rooted in justice

Power To Prosper — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:00:45 +0000

This work is deeply personal to me. I come to it not just as a programme director, but as someone who grew up in poverty. My mum – for a time an undocumented immigrant – did what she had to do. She took cleaning jobs, wrapped me in oversized coats meant to last five winters, and did her best with what little we had. I remember the free school meals, the stigma, and the quiet resilience required just to get by.

Years later, I found myself working in banking, then in financial inclusion, and eventually in philanthropy. But one thing never changed: racialised communities were consistently the most underfunded, the most overlooked, and the most economically marginalised.

It hit hardest while I was working at a billion-pound foundation. I read research report after research report confirming what I already knew – that Black communities in places like Lambeth and Southwark were among the poorest and unhealthiest in the country. And yet, the urgency to act never matched the scale of the injustice. I remember thinking: this isn’t just data. This is me. This is us.

Then came Covid, and our communities bore the brunt once again. I kept returning to one truth: if we are all equal in the eyes of God, then what is this? What are we doing?

That’s why Power to Prosper exists.

Not a project, a movement

Power to Prosper isn’t a one-off project. It’s building long-term infrastructure for racial and economic justice. It’s built by and for communities that are tired of short-term fixes, of systems that extract and exclude, and of being told to survive when we are here to thrive.

We combine grassroots organising, community investment, and narrative power with a fundamental belief: communities can and must build power. We help people own assets, build wealth, influence policy, and shift the dominant narratives about who holds power – and why.

At the heart of our work are regional hubs – clusters of four to five local organisations, each with a dedicated organiser trained in the organising philosophy of Marshall Ganz. This model focuses not on delivering services, but on developing leaders, building relationships rooted in shared values, and enabling people to take collective action. These organisers are here to grow lasting power – power that flows from within communities and transforms the systems that shape their lives.

Structural issues demand structural change

The current economic system wasn’t built for all of us – and we can’t afford to wait. From the Covid-19 pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis, it’s clear: we are not all in this together. Poverty and problem debt aren’t isolated issues – they’re the result of an economic design that concentrates wealth and power while leaving racialised, working-class, and disabled communities to shoulder the consequences.

That’s what Power to Prosper is here to confront.

We reject individualised, short-term fixes. Instead, we work to transform the very systems that create and sustain inequality. We focus on financial security and dignity for all – and we build solutions grounded in lived experience.

Through grassroots networks and regional coalitions, we centre those most impacted. We embrace participatory action research to ensure that our campaigns reflect the real priorities of real people. We build narrative power, support organiser networks, and advocate for structural change. This is long-term, generational work.

Join us

Power to Prosper is challenging the current economic system because we believe something better is possible. A future rooted in dignity, self-determination, and solidarity. A future where people and communities – not businesses and politicians – own the resources that shape their lives.

We’re not just building awareness. We’re building power.

So, whether you’re an investor, a policymaker, a community leader, a storyteller, or someone who just knows in your bones that this system is broken – we invite you to join us to support, invest, amplify, and organise. Let’s build something better, together.

Erel Onojobi