We celebrate the completion of the Uhuru Jiko Community Commercial Kitchen in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The fully licensed and equipped kitchen has long been a vision of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP), to put the means of production in the hands of the African Revolution.
While imperialist control of the world economy has meant starvation, poor nutrition and health for African and other colonized peoples, the Uhuru Movement is constructing a new path to a healthy economic future.
The kitchen lays down infrastructure for African control of food production and distribution, resources, and land toward a worldwide socialist economy.
Uhuru Jiko (Swahili for “in the kitchen”) is part of the development of Black Star Industries, created by the APSP to build commerce by and for African people worldwide.
It begins a new food chain: growing food on our own land, in backyard and community gardens; bringing the food for sale or trade to One Africa! One Nation! marketplaces throughout the world; having our own warehouses and transportation systems; building international relationships with other food growers and distributors for import/export; making healthy and nutritious foods accessible, affordable and in demand to improve the individual and collective health of our people.
This is the healthy economic future for everyone: the solution to the hunger and starvation created by parasitic capitalism, where food production and distribution is based on profit.
Where imperialists speculate and drive up prices of basic foods and destroy countries.
Where multi-national agri-businesses control the land and seeds, genetically modify foods, use fertilizers and pesticides that destroy the earth and those who work it, and secure U.S. government “subsidies” (handouts) and favorable trade restrictions to bolster their huge profits.
Uhuru Jiko serves many functions in our community, including support of African-led business initiatives and raising of resources for the Uhuru Movement.
As a resource for the African community, Africans can access the facilities and equipment required to operate catering, concessions or other food businesses, or to develop and market new food products.
Historically the African community has provided traditional foods and culinary arts to the community, including caterers, bakers, barbeque experts, community fish fries and cookouts.
Food sales have also traditionally been an avenue for raising funds for youth, community and church activities, and for subsidizing family incomes.
The greatest opportunity lies in the unquestionable talent, skill, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit in the African community.
The missing factor has been the resources and facilities to develop viable businesses.
Uhuru Jiko can now unleash the culinary talents and tremendous potential for creating community commerce and self-sustaining economic activity.
Uhuru Jiko transforms Akwaaba Hall at the St. Petersburg Uhuru House into a full-service banquet hall/auditorium/kitchen for rent for family and community events and for caterers.
Uhuru Jiko will be self sustaining, via the hourly and monthly rental fees from users of the kitchen and may, in the future, support a full-time kitchen manager position.
As part of the Party’s nonprofit African People’s Education and Defense Fund, Uhuru Jiko will host classes and training programs for the community, such as kids’ cooking classes; growing and cooking with locally grown produce and herbs; packaging and promoting food products; building, marketing and managing food businesses; nutritional cooking and meal-planning; baking and specialized cooking, and more.
Look out for Uhuru Jiko Top Chef contests and an Uhuru Cooking Channel!
As home to Uhuru Foods & Pies,a more than 35-year-old institution to raise resources and build support for the Uhuru Movement, Uhuru Foods & Pies operates food concessions at festivals and farmer’s markets, coordinates special events and bakes thousands of pies for the annual Uhuru Holiday Pies fundraiser.
Creating Uhuru Jiko in St. Petersburg and in Oakland is part of the strategic goals of Uhuru Foods & Pies to expand regionally, nationally and internationally.
It gives us the opportunity to develop recipes, menus and products to market, refine and standardize our products, ingredients and preparation methods, develop product lines and production capacity.
The space also gives us a place to train organizers to build Uhuru Foods & Pies in other cities and countries.
As part of Black Star Industries, Uhuru Foods & Pies offers opportunities for Party departments and organizations internationally to make income, contributing to the overall strategy of the APSP for all Party departments and organizations to achieve economic self-reliance while contributing resources back to the Party.
Uhuru Foods & Pies will now be able to take advantage of food sales opportunities in every area where the Party is located.
We will have more outlets to market and test our products and more ability to distribute them to new markets.
The kitchen offers professional cooking and baking equipment, including:
· three convection ovens
· 6-burner gas range
· double-basket fryer
· 20-quart mixer
· two double-door refrigerators
· cooling racks
· prep tables
· commercial vegetable slicer
· griddle
· tankless gas hot water heater
· large, 3-compartment sink
· dishwasher/sanitizer
The equipment and construction was made possible by the donations and support of thousands of volunteers, donors and customers of Uhuru Foods & Pies, Uhuru Furniture & Collectibles, Akwaaba Hall; participants in special events and fundraisers including Yoga With A Purpose, wedding and birthday tribute donations, Uhuru Holiday Online Auction, Uhuru Flea Market, Day In Solidarity With African People, Facebook causes and more.
To continue this trajectory, a second Uhuru Jiko is being built at the Uhuru House in Oakland, CA.
Much of the needed equipment has already been acquired, including a gas range, convection ovens and walk-in refrigerator.
Generous volunteers have donated their time to create architectural plans.
We currently are holding a funding drive and building the committee to bring this next project to completion.
Join the power and promise of this economic work! Build the economic future for African people!
DONATE:
www.APEDF.org or mail checks to APEDF, 1245 18th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33705
PARTICIPATE:
St. Petersburg: 1245 18th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33705. 727-821-2437
Email: stpete.programs@APEDF.org
Oakland: 7911 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94610 800-578-5157
Email: oakland.programs@APEDF.org
