Southern Journeys, a for-profit, worker owned and operated Limited Liability Company incorporated in May 2009. Headquartered at 624 West Oglethorpe in Albany, Georgia, the company draws working members from rural counties spanning the Georgia and Alabama Black Belt and the Mississippi Delta. Southern Journeys will make annual financial contributions (stock and dividends) to “members.”

Southern Journeys products incorporate a mix of traditional and modern hand sewn quilted motifs designed and made by Master Craftswomen. They tell a story of Survival from Africa through the generations coming up in the rural South. They have an Ancestral Connection. They have a Soul. We consider them Spiritual. They are enduring in their Quality and Craftsmanship. They can become an Heirloom and be passed down through generations. Quality and Value are paramount to the introduction of this Brand into the marketplace.

Homegrown industries such as Southern Journeys reverse the persistent poverty in the region by adding value to existing resources and skills and enabling workers to meet critical needs, retain local dollars and attract community investments. The counties within which Southern Journey members reside have been designated by USDA as “persistent poverty” indicating 20% or more of their population has been below the poverty level in the last five census years. The poverty rate for female headed households in the rural south is at 45%.

Worker Owned, Local Employment, An Enduring Brand

The Company’s mission statement is to facilitate creative collaboration among African American women of the Alabama and Georgia Blackbelt and the Mississippi Delta that results in:

•  An enduring business owned and operated by local women

• Quality jobs and earning opportunities for low income women

•  Unique products that reflect the region’s history and culture and the women that make them

  The sewing styles of the African American south are a Connoisseur Craft and a National Treasure Survival, Ancestral Connection, Soul, Craftsmanship

  Visit Southern Journey’s online store at http://southernjourneyscollective.com