This book sheds light on the activism of the Black women who act as Banker Ladies in their communities, educating readers about their contributions to economic cooperation.

Caroline Shenaz Hossein is an associate professor of the Global Development and Political Economy at the University of Toronto Scarborough; Canada Research Chair, Tier 2 of Africana Development and Feminist Political Economy; and Founder of the Diverse Solidarity Economies (DISE) Collective.

Michael West, Professor of African American Studies, History, and African Studies, Pennsylvania State University:
“The Banker Ladies offers an exposition of a hoary tradition of social and economic mutual aid that immigrants to Canada and their progeny, mainly but not exclusively of African descent, have transplanted to their new milieu. Caroline Shenaz Hossein brings passion and commitment, as well as a certain amount of personal and familial experience with the subject matter.”

Sharon D. Wright Austin, Professor of Political Science, University of Florida:
“Caroline Shenaz Hossein’s brilliant book educates individuals about the Banker Ladies. In countries around the world, these women find ways to rebel against political and economic exclusion and empower their communities in innovative ways. As a result, they are the dynamic and courageous backbones of their communities. This book is nothing less than a masterpiece.”

J.K. Gibson-Graham, Professor at the Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University and Community Economies Institute:
“For too long co-operativism has been seen through a white Western lens that ignores its diversity. This book puts an end to this devious refusal. Caroline Shenaz Hossein powerfully demands recognition for distinctive varieties of co-operativism. She shines a bright light onto everyday practices of mutual aid, reciprocity, and sharing by which Black, Indigenous, and racialized people have knitted together life sustaining solidarity economies over the longue durée. Her champion economic subjects are the Banker Ladies who, against all odds, foster a caring, culturally diverse economy that puts people before profits. This book is a must-read for anyone keen to decolonize economic theorizing and learn from the wisdom of Black women.”

Lisa Aubrey, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies and Political Science, Arizona State University:
“The Banker Ladies solidly lays the groundwork for a sustained research program on Pan-African co-operatives in the Caribbean, Brazil, and India, as well as in Canada and the United States. Hossein successfully makes the case for Africana feminist political economy to become embedded in the Canadian international development sector and beyond.”