Ujamaa Place Activates Its "A Minute in Black History" Campaign

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Feb. 6, 2018 - PRLog -- February celebrates Black History Month around the nation.  Otis Zanders, President/CEO of Ujamaa Place invited the community to celebrate black history and culture by activating the spirit of our ancestors in a PSA campaign titled "A Minute in Black History."

"Ujamaa Place engaged community leaders and supporters to record the one-minute PSAs reflecting on our strong legacy and as a reminder that we must continue to fight for those on the margins," said Mr. Zanders.

"A Minute in Black History" is produced by OMG Media Solutions.  It is important to acknowledge the community leaders that gave their time to bring this campaign to life, said Executive Producer, Monique Linder.  The copy for " Minute in Black History" was written by Dr. Nekima Levy-Pounds, who ran for Mayor of Minneapolis in 2017 and is an expert on black history.  You will hear the voice of world-renowned-drummer, Sheila E., illuminating the legacy of abolitionist Harriet Tubman.  You will hear "Mass Incarceration" illuminated by brother Karim Abdur Razzaq, CEO of Razzaq Counseling and Social Architect.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Poor People's Campaign" is illuminated by Johnny Allen, CEO of Youth Mentoring Organization, J.K. Movement.  University of St. Thomas educator and author, Dr. Artika Tyner lifts up Mrs. Rosa Parks and Sister Bukola Oriola, a journalist and survivor of labor trafficking who was appointed under President Obama to serve on the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking.  All of these community leaders and servants represent the strength and courage of our ancestry in the way they tirelessly work for justice in their communities.

Ujamaa Place is led by President/CEO Otis Zanders.  Mr. Zanders grew up in the Mississippi Delta during the Jim-Crow era, and comes from a family of sharecroppers.  "The struggle was real.  Looking back I know that that period was preparing me for my calling – the work that I do today at Ujamaa Place.   We have hard work ahead.  We must lean on our ancestors for their knowledge, strength and determination to teach future generations that their strong ancestry comes with a lot of responsibility," said Mr. Zanders.

Mr. Zanders went on to say, "Most of our Ujamaa Men have endured multi-generational poverty, often depriving them of meaningful employment, adequate housing, food, education and leaving them with negative feelings about their self-worth and seeing themselves as failures, who are unable to contribute to their families and community.

"Ujamaa Place believes in transformation.  We believe and are convinced that Ujamaa Men need to be supported by a change in public perception and public policy to begin to recover from the punishing effects of having been incarcerated. We desperately need to have an important conversation about what we have learned after using the penal system as the primary tool for dealing with offenders. We, as a society, can no longer incarcerate our way out of addressing the social ills of a challenged education system, systemic and extreme poverty and criminal activity in our communities," says Mr. Zanders on mass incarceration.

About Ujamaa Place

Since opening our doors seven years ago, Ujamaa Place has served over 2,000 men (predominantly men of color).  On average, 10 men attend our weekly orientation sessions.  Many are homeless and unemployed.  They all need "living wage" earning jobs.  We turn no one away!  All of the men who come to Ujamaa Place receive help.  A large percentage of the men enroll in our Ujamaa Place "Theory of Transformation" program.  A Ujamaa Man is an African-American male, 18-30 years of age, primarily homeless or living in unstable housing.  He is unemployed and has been convicted of a crime, has 2 or more children and, more often than not, did not graduate from high school.  His family roots and background experiences are primarily from the greater St. Paul, MN area.

Ujamaa Place invites the community to share "A Minute in Black History" with your family, friends and community.  http://www.ujamaaplace.org/a-minute-in-black-history.html

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About Ujamaa Place

The vision of Ujamaa Place is to foster development of young African American men to become strong, responsible, employed, educated and financially stable men and fathers, who provide and contribute productively to their family and community.  More information at: http://www.ujamaaplace.org