For Reparations Tuesday this year, I'm raising money for the Black Power Blueprint in St. Louis, a project of the African People’s Education and Defense Fund to put political and economic power in the hands of the African working class to transform their Northside St. Louis community.

St. Louis is a majority black city where 60% of black residents live on the poverty line, and 30% in deep poverty, living on 5 dollars a day. It's ranked as the 7th highest disparity household income between white and African people in the US. The odds of an unarmed African person in St. Louis being killed by police is 6.6 to 1. The Black Power Blueprint is led by African working class organizers to change these conditions and uplift their entire community.

It started with the renovation of a nearly condemned building into the Uhuru House, a beautiful African community center- in less than 10 months with an outpouring of volunteers and donations! The Uhuru House... has since hosted political conventions, poetry nights, fashion shows, family reunions, birthday parties, and more.

APEDF hired Jath Construction to demolish condemned buildings across the street from the Uhuru House, and prepare the lot to make way for the One Africa! One Nation! Outdoor marketplace and event space, and the Gary Brooks Community Garden. Volunteers cleaned the lot on hot Saturdays in July. Most recently, Paradigm Builders have excavated the dirt and poured concrete for an ADA pathway and building of a stage. LeGrown Electric has also been installing the electrical piping for the outdoor sound and lighting.

Renovations are underway on a 4-plex apartment building to be used for housing for the African Independence workforce program, creating jobs for African people coming out of the prison system.

The Black Power Blueprint partnered with Jath Construction Company, tore down another condemned building and have cleared the lot to build a future community basketball court and outdoor health program. The Black Power Blueprint also purchased an abandoned former boathouse with the plans to turn it into a community commercial kitchen, bakery, cafe, job training classrooms, and an herb garden. This is a vision for not only St. Louis but also every city where we see these grave disparities faced by the African community.

APEDF has a 25 year track record of programs such as health fairs in Oakland, Philly, and St. Pete Florida that have free health resources, flea markets that promote black community commerce, a black community radio station, and more. Their work has been possible because of grassroots fundraising. When you donate to the programs of APEDF you are funding the ability of hundreds of African workers to invest their labor power and resources in their own communities.

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