The Northside Independent Neighborhood Association (NINA) was founded in Dec. 2024 to meet a deep need in North St. Louis – an organization that unites the whole community to take power over all aspects of our lives. NINA was built from the strategy and leadership of APEDF President Ona Zene’ Yeshitela, and Uhuru Movement Leader Chairman Omali Yeshitela to uplift our neighborhoods, long neglected by the City and create a thriving, self-reliant black community once again.
The need for NINA was made clear by the 10 month-long fight that the African People’s Education & Defense Fund, APEDF, had to make with the City just to get a permit to renovate a building that had been a restaurant for over 20 years, to house the Uhuru Bakery & Cafe, a program of the Black Power Blueprint in the African community on the northside of St. Louis in an area long defined as a “food desert”.
This fight was ignited when a small, unregistered “neighborhood association” contested APEDF’s right to get the permit for renovation so that Uhuru Foods could bring healthy food to an area with no grocery stores or access to healthy food. Based solely on lies and slander, their opposition delayed the Uhuru Bakery from getting the permit for over nine months, costing APEDF tens of thousands of dollars in expenses and lack of revenue.
Clearly we needed our own neighborhood association to fight for the interests of the community!
NINA’s Purpose states that its goal is to “improve the current quality of life in North St. Louis, fostering a sense of community and advocating for the neighborhood’s interests to become self-determining, self-reliant and self-sustaining”.
NINA broke down the false divisions created by the city where every section of the northside is divided into different wards, vying with each other for resources. NINA represents all neighborhoods on the northside, bringing everyone together, “to contend with the status quo that keeps our neighborhoods impoverished, hungry, unemployed, derelict and with no growth to serve our people”.
Under the dynamic leadership of NINA’s President, Sealli Moyenda, NINA has been fighting fiercely and winning tremendous public support since its inception. It has built a strong membership, holding monthly public membership meetings since January, 2025, bringing together many community organizations and individuals.
Since the EF3 tornado hit St. Louis on May 16th, devastating the northside and damaging over 5,000 buildings, NINA joined APEDF in organizing community relief, collecting and giving out free food, water, personal hygiene products, clothing and emergency supplies to the people.
NINA went to all the City’s Town Hall meetings to demand that the City bring massive resources to the northside. President Sealli boldly spoke out about the fact that the City government was doing nothing for our people, weeks and now over 4 months after the tornado devastated our community. He was constantly in the news, and residents aired their demands and disgust for the lying politicians at the meetings, encouraged by NINA’s stand.
Megan Green, the President of the Board of Aldermen, quoted Sealli in the St. Louis Business Journal and in her newsletter, as well as in person at the August 26th NINA meeting, stating that she agreed with NINA’s position: “Crossing the Delmar Divide has never been starker… From the tornado we have the ability to do things differently; to not fall into the same patterns that created the disinvestment of the Northside to begin with… Everybody has to care about what is happening on the Northside.”
NINA brought the community together for a powerful celebration of the people’s courage and tenacity in the face of the tornado damage with the Northside Community Block Party on August 2nd, supported by a grant from the Small Dollar Action Fund. Community organizations and vendors set up booths; Uhuru Foods & Pies gave away hot dogs and sweet potato pies, and children had their faces painted and played on the bouncy castle. Information was given out to the community on how to get funding for tornado damage and there was a dynamic program from the stage with music, drumming, singers and rappers, giveaways and speakers.
APEDF presented a large donation to Erion “Prop-man” Johnson, who is building tiny houses for people who lost their homes. He brought his students, enthusiastic young Africans, who expressed their appreciation for their training in Youth Builders.
NINA is leading a united fight for genuine economic development and political power to transform the lives of African people in St. Louis!
APEDF is renovating properties to ensure black families can stay in our community! Here are pictures of how the Black Power Blueprint Housing Project is building power in North St. Louis!
APEDF salutes the outstanding work of African and Mexican contractors who live and work in North St. Louis!
Black Power Blueprint is renovating houses and bringing power back to the African community!
The African People’s Education and Defense Fund (APEDF) is on the frontlines of confronting the manufactured housing crisis in North St. Louis, where disparities are among the starkest in the country.
In St. Louis, black residents are three times more likely to experience homelessness than white residents. The same forces that originally denied black people access to housing—redlining, violent displacement, and systematic disinvestment—persist today through corporate land grabs, selective code enforcement and gentrification, the modern face of colonialism.
The fight for housing is inseparable from the fight for food, clothing, and shelter—all essential for building healthy, self-determining, politically empowered communities.
APEDF created Black Power Blueprint and prioritizes housing as a way to uphold its mission: to defend the human and civil rights of African people and promote self-determination, free from displacement by developers or speculation. The May 16 tornado which devastated the northside black community and the predictable neglect by the City, makes this more critical now than ever!
Building Black Power by Renovating Properties for our Community
To advance this mission, APEDF has acquired and is renovating properties in North St. Louis to ensure that African families remain rooted in our neighborhoods. Currently, APEDF is transforming four properties—one apartment building and three single-family homes—into quality, affordable housing.
Local black and Indigenous contractors and skilled trades people have installed essential systems such as roofing, tuckpointing, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical wiring while community volunteers have contributed by cleaning, painting, and light carpentry. These projects not only restore homes but also strengthen relationships and build economic ties within the community.
Black Power Blueprint programs are groundbreaking because they transform the conditions of every aspect of life, so our community can see a positive vision of the future.
Be part of the movement that builds not just homes, but returns power to the African community. Uhuru!
The Uhuru Bakery is a Symbol of our Community’s Unity & Resilience
By Daniel Colchado
In North St. Louis, Uhuru Bakery & Café is rising as a symbol of community resilience, self-determination, and social transformation. After many months of struggle to obtain a building permit, an effort blocked by the city government, the space will be more than a bakery. This community institution will be a refuge from the legacy of colonialism that has left our neighborhoods neglected and scarred.
Against the odds and roof damage from the recent devastating tornado, construction on site has continued. Through the power of the people, volunteers, coordinators, and laborers, Uhuru Bakery & Café has laid its foundations, framed walls, installed HVAC, and created a welcoming patio for neighbors to gather. Uhuru Bakery & Cafe will open as soon as September 2025!
Uhuru Bakery & Cafe is Key to the growing Black Power Blueprint on the W. Florissant Corridor
The café is not just another business. Uhuru Bakery & Café is a keystone of the Black Power Blueprint that is revitalizing the West Florissant Corridor. It honors the freedom that its name carries by rooting it in human dignity. This is part of Black Power Blueprint projects to reclaim land, resources and power for the African community. Our people will be able to enjoy a meal, conversation, and belonging.
This act of solidarity was noted by the neighbors, many of whom had previously been supporters and advocates of the restaurant opening when it faced obstacles by the city government. Neighbors also expressed enthusiasm for the menu offerings of vegan jerk chicken sandwiches, burgers, breakfast and pies, and eagerly await the café’s opening.
There is still work to do. Uhuru Bakery & Café is seeking chefs, crafting its final menu and calling on volunteers to help paint the bakery with more volunteer opportunities in early July. These finishing touches are not just cosmetic, but also an invitation for the community to shape this space as a home away from home.
Volunteer Spotlight: Nathan!
Join Us for Upcoming Events & Programs!
7/9 – Wednesday, 6-10pm CT Solidarity with the Northside! Benefit for Black Power Blueprint. Music, Poetry, Dance, Food & Drinks, Raffle. Work & Leisure 3015 Locust St. St. Louis MO. Tickets $25, click above or Blackpowerblueprint.org/benefit, more info uhurusolidarity.org314-328-4816
7/12 – Saturday, 9am CT Volunteer Workday: Garden and Projects. Meet at the Gary Brooks Community Garden 4031 W. Florissant Ave. Contact Stephanie 727-510-4360 to sign up or email volunteer@promotionsblackpowerblueprint-org
7/26 – Saturday, 9am CT Volunteer Workday: Garden. Meet at the Gary Brooks Community Garden, 4031 W. Florissant Ave. Contact Stephanie 727-510-4360 to sign up or email volunteer@blackpowerblueprint.org
7/26 – Saturday, 10am-3pm CT One Africa! One Nation! Farmers Market. **New location** due to tornado damage: 4101-4031 W. Florissant Ave outside the Uhuru House & the Gary Brooks Community Garden. Vendor and volunteer info at OneAfricaMarket.com
7/29 – Tuesday, 6pm CT Open Community Meetingof the Northside Independent Neighborhood Association (NINA). Uhuru House 4101 W. Florissant Ave. Everyone is welcome! More info NINASTL.org314-246-0311info@ninastl.org
8/2 – Saturday, 11am-4pm CT Northside Community Block Party. On West Florissant from Adelaide to Alice. Free Food, Music, Games & Prizes, Tornado Relief Supplies, Basketball, Vendors. To vend, have a free info table, join the team or volunteer 314-246-0311 or info@NINASTL.org
Every Sunday, 3-5pm CT Black Community Tornado Response Rally. Talk about and take action on the most pressing issues for our people in the wake of the tornado and the City’s ongoing disdain and neglect of our people. We need housing, health, food, and economic self-reliance. Join us at the Uhuru House, 4101 W. Florissant Ave, St Louis, MO or watch and participate online on YouTube @TheBurningSpear
Join us for spectacular evening of Solidarity with the Northside! All proceeds benefit the Black Power Blueprint, Black community programs for self-determination and economic development, rebuilding the Northside in the aftermath of the tornado devastation!
Solidarity with the Northside! is a tribute to the profound resilience of the African community and the longstanding fight for social and economic justice!
We greatly appreciate Work and Leisurefor donating their gorgeous space for this benefit. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate and raise much needed funds.
Located at 3015 Locust Street in Midtown, just a few blocks east of Saint Louis University and the Fox Theatre, Work & Leisure is a non-traditional, 5,000 sq. ft. event venue offering a customizable floor layout, three bar areas, bocce ball, shuffleboard, staging and much more. Let’s fill up the space on Wed, July 9th for the Northside!
Special thank you to Uhuru Solidarity Movement for sponsoring this benefit!
On the afternoon of May 16, 2025 a devastating EF3 tornado tore through North St. Louis, leaving in its wake unimaginable destruction unexpected by residents. Entire corridors of our city were ravaged – roofs torn off, walls collapsed, massive trees downed onto cars and homes, and power lines toppled. Over 100,000 residents were left without power for over a week. Thousands of people, 70 percent of whom do not have insurance, were displaced with only meager resources from the institutions that ought to serve them.
The devastation our community faces is covered up by the City and media. The decades of defunding our infrastructure makes it hard to tell what the tornado hit and what was destroyed by the City’s long term neglect.BlackPowerBlueprint.org/NorthsideDisasterFund
What is evident from the days following this disaster is that the damage compounds the crisis that has been ongoing since St. Louis was built on the stolen land of the Indigenous people in 1764: the conscious policy of neglect toward North St. Louis – a protracted assault on Black people that, unlike the tornado, is neither an act of nature nor an event that is difficult to forecast.
The city of St. Louis’ response to the tornado brought to light and deepened these wounds. In the days following the storm, it was revealed that city officials failed to activate emergency sirens, a negligence that vindicates the distrust this community has toward a government that has consistently failed to meet our needs.
Two days after the tornado, Black Power Blueprint and the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement began daily giveaways of food, water, clothing, diapers, hygiene and cleaning supplies at the Uhuru House and organized teams to assist our community clearing fallen trees & debris.BlackPowerBlueprint.org/NorthsideDisasterFund
People died, many were injured, 5000 properties suffered severe damage
This failure cost our community seven lives: Catherine Brown, Rena Lyles, Deloris Holmes, Juan Baltazar, Larry Patrick, Patricia Penelton, and Jerome Robinson. These are not just names; they were loved ones, neighbors, and members of this community.
While the city stalled in its response, the community itself has mobilized with astounding speed, enthusiasm, and valor.
Chairman Omali Yeshitela and other Uhuru Movement leaders went door to door just hours after the tornado to check on the welfare of our people, assess the damage and offer assistance.
The residents of North St. Louis were the first responders in this crisis. Neighbors came together within minutes of the storm’s passing – cleaning debris, blocking off live wires, sharing food, water, and critical information.
Uhuru Foods & Pies distributed free hot food during the days following the tornado.
The Black Power Blueprint (BPB), with its framework of initiatives that affirm and build Black working-class self-determination, joined and amplified these people-led efforts. Immediately after the tornado, BPB teams were on the ground walking door to door, assessing damage, and checking on elders and families. They established a free community charging station and began distributing essential supplies, including hot meals prepared by Uhuru Foods. Volunteers from the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement also staffed donation centers, provided logistical support, and helped direct families to immediate aid.
Volunteers from all walks of life chose to support African self-determination
BPB also led cleanup workdays on May 18, 20, 22, and 24, mobilizing scores of volunteers with tools, gloves, buckets and hand tools to help remove trees and debris from homes. These collective acts of solidarity underscore the power and dignity of an organized community taking care of its own — in sharp contrast with the confusion and chaos demonstrated by the government.
Indeed, the actions of the city government speak to a longstanding policy of abandonment of North St. Louis. Decades of underinvestment and overexploitation in infrastructure, housing, and public services made North St. Louis the epicenter of this disaster. The now-infamous Team Four plan, a 1970s city planning memorandum that de facto guided city development policy to let the north side to “ rot” as a “depletion area,” suggesting that this area, home to thousands, was too far gone to merit investment.
The City brought no help to our community! Only a lockdown
The effects of what some defend as “triage” of resources have exacerbated the colonial, racial hierarchy that produced the conditions we see today. Mayor Cara Spencer’s administration brought no resources to help our community, no food, no water, no help with clean up from the City – only a lock down! She immediately set up a 9pm curfew just for our community, brought in the national guard and sent out code enforcement agents to slap red stickers of “unfit for occupancy” on homes based on a cursory exterior viewing. She gave families just ten days to vacate, then shut off their electricity with no recourse or plan to restore power! Many residents of these homes are still reeling from the trauma of losing their entire lives within one hour with little to no warning. The mayor’s public apology acknowledged the emotional distress caused by this, but so far, no concrete commitment to protect residents from displacement has been enacted.
The systemic nature of this problem has chilling parallels to the responses seen in previous crises, with Hurricane Katrina as an example magnified in scale but made of the same components. The abandonment of this community gives residents the right to be wary. As a neighborhood member put it, the “criminal treatment of [the] community” warrants justice for its residents.
This emergency has also revealed how unprepared the city was to address it in the first place. Despite repeated warnings, the Office of Emergency Management has been underfunded, understaffed, and under-resourced for years — receiving only 0.2% of the public safety budget compared to 1.5–2% in cities like Chicago and Kansas City. The failure to sound tornado sirens cannot be dismissed as a technical error but rather as a symptom of systemic brokenness.
As the dust settles, there is clarity. If North St. Louis is to recover, it must do so by doing what has had demonstrable success: engaging, mobilizing, and leading the community on its own terms. BPB insists that this is not charity, but Black self-determination consistent with its mission. For years, BPB has worked to build power in the African community through projects that unite and aim to grow its resources through economic development, including businesses and markets – all of which have in the past faced resistance from the city. The tornado revealed what BPB has always been a bulwark against: a system that invests in policing and not development, containment and not empowerment, and control rather than community.
We were the first responders, but we need skilled volunteers now!
Currently, North St. Louis urgently needs skilled labor and legal defense. Although the community has bravely assisted in clean-up efforts mobilized by solidarity rather than experience, dedicated professional work is more necessary than ever. Roofers, carpenters, electricians, and glass repair experts are needed to help families repair and rebuild safer homes.
Community health professionals should also be placed on high alert to address the inevitable fallout from the disaster – as physical and psychological trauma, respiratory illness, and exposure to toxic materials are bound to place an additional strain on this crisis. Legal volunteers and experts are also needed to protect residents from unjust displacement and predatory actions that often follow major catastrophes. This is the time to truly focus and provide long-term solutions to finally rebuild a stronger North St. Louis.
Outside supporters, individuals and institutions, must understand the conditions and stakes present. What is happening in North St. Louis is not a natural disaster alone; it is a consequence of the political and economic system that we all find ourselves under, one which has written off Black neighborhoods as disposable. The $290 million Rams settlement, the $498 million in ARPA funds, and other city surpluses must be directed toward this recovery, not funneled into real estate development for gains that the vast majority and those most affected will never see.
The way forward is African freedom and self-determination!
This is a moment of truth for St. Louis as a whole. Will it continue to ignore its most neglected neighborhoods? Or will it finally acknowledge and invest in the people who have demonstrated power through community and steadfast resilience?
The people of North St. Louis did not wait for permission. They cleaned their streets, fed their neighbors, and protected their homes, but still need further mobilization to recover what has been lost. With support from organizations like BPB, they are organizing not just for immediate survival, but for long-term self-determination.
Volunteers Needed Sat June 14 9am
We’re calling on all skilled and unskilled volunteers who want to help rebuild our community! Meet at the Uhuru House 4101 W. Florissant Ave. at 9 am Sat 6/14. Contact Stephanie 727-510-4360 to sign up or email volunteer@blackpowerblueprint.org
“My name is Ant and today I’m volunteering with my Fraternity group at the Gary Brooks Community Garden. One of the reasons I love volunteering with Black Power Blueprint is just being part of the community and seeing the community raise up. The Black Power Blueprint is doing amazing things in this neighborhood and I’m just glad to be a part of it!” – Ant
Join Us for Upcoming Events & Programs!
Saturday June 14th 9am CT,VOLUNTEER WORKDAY: Help garden, board up windows, fix fences, paint and more. Meet at the Uhuru House, 4101 W. Florissant Ave. Contact Stephanie 727-510-4360 to sign up or email volunteer@blackpowerblueprint.org
Saturday June 14th 11am-5pm CT,TORNADO RELIEF GIVEAWAY: Pick up supplies including food, water, diapers, clothes, cleaning supplies, toiletries and more. Uhuru House, 4101 W. Florissant Ave.
Every Sunday 3-5pm CT Black Community Tornado Response Rally. Talk about and take action on the most pressing issues for our people in the wake of the tornado and the City’s ongoing disdain and neglect of our people. We need housing, health, food, and economic self-reliance. Join us at the Uhuru House, 4101 W. Florissant Ave, St Louis, MO or watch and participate online on YouTube @TheBurningSpear
Saturday June 21 10am-3pm CT One Africa Farmers Market, New location due to tornado damage: 4101-4031 W. Florissant Ave outside the Uhuru House & the Gary Brooks Community Garden. Juneteenth Weekend Event. Vendor and volunteer opportunities more info OneAfricaMarket.com
Tuesday June 24th 6pm CT Open Community Meeting of the Northside Independent Neighborhood Association (NINA). Uhuru House 4101 W. Florissant Ave. Everyone is welcome! More info NINASTL.org 314-246-0311 info@ninastl.org
Saturday June 28th 9am CT Volunteers needed in the Gary Brooks Black Power Community Garden. Meet at the Garden 4031 W. Florissant to sign up or for questions or email volunteer@blackpowerblueprint.org
“Black Power Blueprint at the Uhuru House” is the post-tornado disaster relief center in North St. Louis, coordinated by and serving the black community.
Accepting drop offs of donations of rebuilding supplies at the Uhuru House, 4101 W. Florissant Ave. Mon-Fri, 9am – 5pm (314) 380-8016.
To volunteer, contact Volunteer@BlackPowerBlueprint.org or call/text Stephanie, Volunteer Coordinator at (727) 510-4360.
The community of North STL is in need of: Building Supplies and tools, siding, plywood, 2x4s, hammers, nails, tarps, tie-downs for tarp (or rope), butane fuel and butane cookers, tents, and other supplies to rebuild.
Volunteers needed: All volunteers of all skill-levels welcome as well as contractors, electricians, roofers, tuckpointing masons, window-repair people, drywallers, lawyers, and more.
You can donate at BlackPowerBlueprint.org/NorthsideDisasterFund
Black Power Blueprint – Bringing Power Back to the North Side!
Free food, water and supplies including cleaning products, baby diapers, gloves, tarps, batteries, and much more, was available for our community of North St Louis within 24 hours of the tornado. Our free generator-operated charging station was also open shortly after the tornado. Thank you to InPDUM for coordinating the giveaway all week! Thank you to our volunteers! And a special thank you to Work and Leisure, an event venue, for doing a donation drive providing much of the food and supplies in the first week! Black Power Blueprint is the organization that is working in the interest of our community, bringing power back to the Northside! Volunteers and donations welcome! To donate, visit: BlackPowerBlueprint.org/NorthsideDisasterFund. More info: 314-380-8016 or volunteer@blackpowerblueprint.org
Over 40 volunteers came from all over the area on Sunday to assist the Black Power Blueprint in a meaningful and immediate response for our North St. Louis community.
The devastation is extensive, made worse by decades of imposed neglect by the City of St. Louis, whose only initial response was to impose a curfew! But residents immediately pulled together to clear streets, block off downed power lines, cook for each other, give out water and more! The Black Power Blueprint salutes the community of North St. Louis!
Black Power Blueprint volunteers enthusiastically joined the community in the recovery efforts! You came out with tools, donations of supplies, and you all worked SO HARD!! You cleared downed trees, you cleared roof debris, you stacked bricks, you boarded up buildings, you fixed the court at the Black Power Vanguard Community Basketball Court, you cooked and handed out over 250 hot, grilled meals and waters…
Shout outs to all the volunteers that simply saw us working and pulled over! Larry (pictured above, bottom right) who donated a chainsaw! Josh who helped chainsaw the trees! Jesse and his family who helped chainsaw the trees!
Your efforts got services in place, like the free charging station, set up at the Karibu stage. This is used by the community all day, every day because power is still out community-wide, going on 6 days! And the basketball court, which people started using the minute it was repaired, before the volunteers even left!
…And you donated!
Akwaaba Hall was packed with all your donations! So many people pulled up and dropped up car loads of supplies! And we want to give a special shout out to all the MONETARY DONORS nationwide! Your donations have made it possible to set up the Charging Station, Purchase Supplies for the Workdays, Food for the Community, and so much more!
Disaster relief supplies are being distributed at the Uhuru House (4101 W. Florissant, 63115) to the community Monday – Friday from 9 am – 5 pm. You can see all your donations going directly to the people and so many people come out.
This is not charity – this is the African community doing for ourselves, serving our own community, organizing for self-determination and power in our own hands. This is what your donations are supporting!
Thank you to all the volunteers and donors – your contributions are making a difference in the community!
Join the team as we expand the Black Power Blueprint Community Gardens in 2025 along West Florissant Ave., beautifying and bringing healthy food to the O’Fallon neighborhood.
Be part of planting, harvesting in the community gardens as well as learning to create your own backyard garden. Our goal is to end food apartheid making fresh produce available to the community.
We are hiring people to lead trainings in healthy organic growing and eating.
The nonprofit APEDF is hiring for the following positions
