In my last St. Louis American commentary, “St. Louis Black leaders: What’s Going On?” I specifically questioned black politicians about the seemingly lack of legislative action or plans drafted to address historical and disproportionate disparities and health crises facing black people in our region. The piece focused mostly on the millions upon millions of public tax dollars and incentives doled out to already rich developers, tony neighborhoods and powerful entities.
Recently, the St. Louis Cardinals announced plans to expand Ballpark Village with an office building, retail center and a 29-story apartment tower. This “phase II” development relies on almost $200 million in city and state subsidies. Keep in mind this money is on top of the hundreds of millions already designated to the NGA, NorthSide Regeneration and Cortex projects and other developments in tony areas like the Central West, Midtown and South Side neighborhoods.
An October 31 Riverfront Times article revealed that almost $10 million in tax abatements (from 2000 to 2014) have been awarded to the Botanical Heights, Shaw, Tower Grove East and Forest Park Southeast (aka the Grove) neighborhoods where “black residents are being displaced for white ones.”
In my commentary, I asked why black politicians aren’t making sure that long-neglected neighborhoods are included in these publicly-funded endeavors. I spoke of a need for a new model that would not only revitalize North St. Louis but empower residents to make and sustain much-needed change. As an example, I spoke about the 10 or so nonprofits struggling but dedicated to making a positive economic and social impact on MLK Boulevard from Wellston all the way down to the Greater Ville area near Grand Boulevard.
Well, I’m happy to report there’s been some momentum in this direction. Two faculty members of Saint Louis University’s Nutrition and Dietetics department collaborated with Northside Community Housing Inc. to submit and receive a $500,000 USDA grant to implement the “North City Food Hub” at North Sarah in the Greater Ville area.
This summer, there will be entrepreneurship classes, a business incubator program to accelerate food-related business development; a shared-use kitchen where residents can turn produce into marketable products; a cafe, food processing center, a grocery store and a home food delivery operation.
The beauty of this partnership is that about five grassroots organizations – Annie Malone, Hosco Foods, the Ville Collaborative, Good Life Growing Inc. and the Sweet Potato Project – along with SLU are responsible for carrying out and sustaining a mission aimed at creating culinary and food-related jobs, stimulating small business growth, helping residents gain access to vacant land to grow food, packaging and bringing food and food-based products to market in North St. Louis and the rest of the region.
It gets better. After attending an awards ceremony in September, I wrote a commentary based on comments made by award recipient Malik Ahmed. Ahmed (founder of Better Family Life, Inc.) talked about the need for black organizations to collaborate, strategize and collectively go after funding to do what we do best.
Since then, a new community-based organization, the New Opportunities Alliance for Hope (NOAH), has been formed. Its mission is to recruit individuals and struggling nonprofits already involved with affordable housing, land ownership, crime reduction, neighborhood revitalization, youth and adult business training and urban farming in North St. Louis.
Beloved Streets of America, the Sweet Potato Project, A.C.E.S. 4 Youth and Robert Powell, founder of the now shuttered Portfolio Art Gallery, are just a few members of the alliance. Powell intends to apply for the annual $11 million in state funding already designated for an African American Arts District that will showcase, support and enhance black arts and culture in St. Louis.
I can’t help but imagine the possibilities inherent in the collaboration of organizations like the North St. Louis Food Hub and NOAH. The possibilities are even more promising if politicians adopted this vision and expanded the definition of “development” beyond the limited boundaries of only funding “big box” projects and upper-class neighborhoods.
The North City Food Hub will be in operation by summer 2017. Positive motion is afoot but small grassroots agencies and community players need political champions to empower their causes just like they do for the affluent and connected. With a little more vision and aggressive, creative legislation, St. Louis could very well introduce a new national template that empowers grassroots organizations and individuals who are already doing their best with meager resources to uplift North St. Louis.
Sylvester Brown Jr. is a writer, community activist and executive director of the Sweet Potato Project, a program that seeks to empower low-income youth and adults through land-ownership and urban agriculture.
