ABSTRACT
WHEELS (Women's Hands Establishing Entrepreneurial Leadership Skills) Collective was established in Brooklyn, NY, in 2013, in response to the severe impact of the recession on women of color. It develops women-owned and operated collectives of automobile repair shops and a community parts exchange where members can barter auto parts and services. WHEELS provides the means for women to acquire auto-repair skills and business acumen, and also gain an understanding of the capitalist system and alternative ways to build wealth. Founder Christina Jaus, an accountant, based it on a solidarity economy framework and her work within Black Women's Blueprint (BWB)—a national black feminist organization dedicated to economic and social justice, which she co-founded in 2008 with Farah Tanis. She says WHEELS's ‘target population is primarily women of color in Brooklyn, particularly those with minimum job opportunities, namely the previously incarcerated and veterans’ (interview with Christina Jaus, 2015) (Figure 1).
