Reflections Month

January at Ujima is a time for reflection, where we pause to meditate on what has been and imagine what could be.

This month, #UjimaWednesdays will feature discussions and reflections with Ujima staff, members, and committees. Members from Ujima's ecosystem will share their wins, challenges, and lessons from 2025, followed by open discussions on cooperative work and processes. If you participated in any member teams or committees in 2025, we invite you to join the conversation each week. Reflect on your journey within Ujima's ecosystem over the past year and consider the new possibilities we can explore together in the year ahead.

Featured speakers include Ujima Staff, the Community Standards Committee, the Investment Committee, UGBA member Fresh Food Generation, and members of the Arts and Cultural Organizing, Coalitions, Policy & Grassroots Organizing, Resourcing, and Anchor Institution teams.

Reflections with Member Teams Part I | RSVP

January 14, 2026

Join us for our annual Reflections from the following member teams: Athul Krishnadas and Angel Lopez from Coalitions, Policy & Grassroots Organizing; Steve Dubb from Anchor Institutions Organizing; James Vamboi from Resourcing; and Rayven from Arts & Culture Organizing. They will share their reflections and learnings from 2025 and consider the new possibilities we can explore together in the year ahead. Learn more about our member teams here.

Reflections with Ujima Good Business Alliance, Community Standards Committee, and Investment Committee | RSVP

January 21, 2026

Join us for our annual Reflections with Joyce Clark of the Community Standards Committee, Miriam Gee of the Investment Committee, and Cassandria Campbell, co-founder of Fresh Food Generation and member of the Ujima Good Business Alliance (UGBA). They will share their reflections and learnings from 2025 and consider the new possibilities we can explore together in the year ahead. Learn more about our committees and alliances here.

Reflections with Ujima Staff and Member Team Part II | RSVP

January 28, 2026

We invite you to our annual Reflections from the Ujima Staff and Gabriel Johnson from the Publications Member Team. They will share their reflections and learnings from 2025, and consider the new possibilities we can explore together in the year ahead. Learn more about our member teams here.

About our Facilitators:

Athul Krishnadas (he/him)- Athul is part of the Boston Ujima Project’s Coalitions, Policy, and Grassroots Organizing team. A former financial services professional with experience at Goldman Sachs, Santander Bank, and FIS Global, he is dedicated to building fairer, more socially and environmentally conscious financial systems that serve people and communities.

Steve Dubb is a senior editor at Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ) and covers a wide range of issues based on working on various aspects of community economic development. Dubb has worked with cooperatives and nonprofits for over two decades, including twelve years at The Democracy Collaborative and three years as executive director of NASCO (North American Students of Cooperation). Steve has authored, co-authored and edited numerous reports; participated in and facilitated learning cohorts; designed community building strategies; and helped build the field of community wealth building.

Rayven, known as DJ Rayvino. Born in Dorchester with Honduran and African-American roots, she’s built a name on joy that feels radical, crafting sets that move from dembow to Brazilian phonk, from parks to museums. Her practice is less about performance and more about connection: sound as memory, rhythm as community.For Rayven, joy itself is rebellion.Through Femme-only events and spaces centered on Black and trans femmes, she reminds us that rest and freedom belong to everyone. She calls it whimsical, but her work is serious in its intent to make people feel seen, safe, and alive

James Vamboi  is a social worker, visual artist and fundraising strategist originally from Philadelphia. He moved to Boston to serve on the City Year Boston 2012-2013 corps and never left because he found community in Jamaica Plain and doing feminist men's work. James cares deeply about people and the planet and is inspired by the work of the Justice Funders, Bayard Rustin and his Sierra Leonean aunties who taught him all about love. Prior to Ujima, James worked at Health Leads for 3 years primarily focused on managing a portfolio of institutional & individual donor relationships against cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities. James is honored to support the economic world-building that the Boston Ujima Project is envisioning and continue to build towards a world where all humans are in the right relationship with change and each other.

Miriam Gee is, in a word, a powerhouse. A CoFounder of CoEverything, Miriam is passionate about architecture and development and its potential for building community. She is committed to the triple bottom line and excels in project management and community engagement. Miriam is an active board member for Boston Ujima Project and formerly with Boston Farms Community Land Trust and Yestermorrow Design/Build School. She co-founded Build Lightly Studio - where she taught community-driven design/build courses in the U.S. and abroad.

Cassandria Cambell  is the co-founder and CEO of Fresh Food Generation- A farm-to-plate business which includes a Caribbean American restaurant, food truck, and catering company committed to bringing nutrient-rich local foods to communities in every corner of Boston. The daughter of Caribbean parents, Campbell was raised in Boston's Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods. Growing up, she became involved in the urban farming movement, helping to transform vacant lots into productive urban green spaces. She earned an undergraduate degree in Economics from Swarthmore and a Master's in City Planning from MIT, which later ignited her career in urban planning. Cassandria has traveled and lived in Ghana, Brazil, and Ecuador and observed the availability of healthy, fast-casual food options. Fresh Food Generation was born to provide her neighborhood with high quality food options.  Fresh Food Generation has become a journey into her Caribbean culture and a love letter to her neighborhood. 

Gabriel Johnson is a member of the Ujima Publications team, the All-African People's Revolutionary Party, and the Black Alliance for Peace with the deep desire to be useful to our people. Additionally Gabriel engages in cultural work through poetry/zines and community based health.