Ezra Cunningham

Ezra Cunningham

Taken from http://www.federationsoutherncoop.com/2007annualreport/staff07.pdf

Ezra Cunningham, a pioneer for civil rights, social justice and the cooperative movement from Beatrice, Alabama, died in December 2006 at the age of 89.

In the 1960’s, Cunningham was active in civil rights and voter registration. He helped to organize the Southwest Alabama Farmers Cooperative (SWAFCA), a ten county armers marketing and supply cooperative to serve Black farmers based in Selma.

Cunningham was a founding member of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives in 1967 and signed its Articles of Incorporation on behalf of SWAFCA. From then, he had a lifelong commitment to the Federation and the cooperative movement for Black and poor people in the state. He was on staff of the Southern Cooperative Development Program and the Federation from 1967 to 1995; and a volunteer from 1995 until his death.

For most of his life, he was Coordinator of the Alabama State Association of Cooperatives, assisting cooperatives and credit unions, including the Freedom Quilting Bee, SWAFCA, Panola Land Buying Association, Claiborne Catfish Co-op, Beat 10 Action Committee, West Alabama Farmers Co-op, Browntown Farmers Co-op and many others.

He also assisted residents of Beatrice in an environmental justice fight to clean up a cancer causing creasole. He pushed through the Alabama Council for Human Relations for more Black History courses in schools and more Black History books in school libraries.