By Daniel Colchado
After years of struggle, the Black Power Blueprint (BPB) is proud to share a new victory. That victory is the Shamba La Uhuru Freedom Farm, an urban farm rooted in our unwavering commitment to build a future in which Black people control our food, land, and economy.
What began with nine boxes of vegetables and three barrels of herbs in the Gary Brooks Black Power Community Garden has now developed into a one-third acre project in keeping with our larger, powerful goal: transforming North St. Louis.
This endeavor required leadership, strategic planning, and the collective work of hundreds of volunteers over the years.
At the core of it all is the determination and visionary leadership of African People´s Education & Defense Fund (APEDF) President Ona Zene Yeshitela and the fierce work of the BPB to liberate and revitalize three previously unused and neglected properties at 3901 and 3905 W. Florissant and 2189 Linton for our community’s collective use and growth.
Today that land is no longer abandoned. It is becoming a place of life, nourishment, and self-determination. That is the meaning of Shamba La Uhuru, the “farm of freedom.”
Shamba La Uhuru is the official expansion of the Gary Brooks Black Power Community Garden, marking a shift from small-scale gardening to full-scale agricultural production. Instead of a few boxes, we will have twenty-four rows of twenty-five-foot beds that will soon be home to fresh vegetables and herbs grown for the benefit of the community.
With our commitment to strengthening independent economic programs and ensuring that the food on our plates is grown by our own hands, one of the major goals of Shamba La Uhuru is to supply produce directly to our Uhuru Bakery & Cafe, located 2 blocks down the West Florissant Corridor. The farm will also cultivate several varieties of African herbs that will be cultivated, dried, and sold through the Cafe and a future Farm Stand, creating sustainable funding streams for the Black Power Blueprint.
The design of Shamba La Uhuru reflects both the depth and breadth of its partnerships. A team from Custom Foodscapes, whose previous work includes installing the rain garden and irrigation system at the original community garden, designed the farm’s layout. DJM Environmental Solutions prepared the land, which included removing old fencing, leveling the lots, and completing the soil testing that has now cleared the way for construction.
Together, these partners have helped create a space that will include a children’s learning garden, an area for workshops and community gatherings, a greenhouse, a produce stand, and a beautiful arbor entrance that will welcome visitors into a landscape overflowing with food and possibility.
Although much of the most difficult and technical work has already been completed, the next stage in our labor is defined by people power. Over the next several months, BPB will begin building a dedicated volunteer garden team. This will involve establishing timelines for installing fencing, water and electric lines, and storage containers, as well as preparing for the first major spring planting in 2026. BPB will also partner with community educators to schedule classes, workshops, and training materials that will deepen agricultural knowledge within our community.
Shamba La Uhuru Freedom Farm is more than a garden or a construction project. It is a declaration that Black people have the right to fresh, healthy food, the right to own and develop land, and the right to build an independent, self-sustaining economy. It is a space where children will learn, families will gather, volunteers will dig their hands into the soil, and a community will rise stronger, healthier, and more connected to the land that surrounds us.
The Black Power Blueprint extends an open invitation to stand with us and build this future together. Through the work of our volunteers, partners, and organizers, we are planting the seeds not only for vegetables and herbs, but for liberation itself. Shamba La Uhuru is a promise to our community and to our future, and together we will ensure that the harvest is one of empowerment, dignity, and lasting freedom.