Obari: From your perspective, how far are we from reinstituting organizations like The Black Panther party? The waking up at 5 a.m. voluntarily to prepare breakfast, for school children 5 days a week part. We praise the Panthers, make art exhibits about them, but how close do you think we are to doing the work they inspired? Sorry for jumping right in, I’m bad at small talk.

Brandon: Gratitude for the opportunity to build with you on this platform. And thanks for that excellent question. First off I offer tremendous respect and honor to our Elders and Ancestors. The more you engage in this work to love on, protect, and uphold the integrity of our people and culture, you realize how mighty our Ancestors were/are.  The level of sacrifice, coordination, resolve, affinity, and consistency they exhibited is awe-inspiring. They deserve deep study and reflection, not just from a nostalgic and sentimental perspective, but as you alluded to from a sobering and strategic perspective.
I can respond several ways. The optimist in me says that the capacity is absolutely there. Much of the external resources are there as well. One thing that is critical to realize is that it only took a handful of people, to facilitate a breakfast for children program. The community patrols that the Panther Party engaged in began with a hand full of people as well. Even in this day a lot of our institutions, initiatives, businesses, schools, daycares, and others begin with a small cadre and blossomed from there. Many of us have been given this mass rally mentality for movement building. However, I think an essential element we overlook is the actual day to day, person to person, neighbor to neighbor, household to household work, that makes mass movement possible.

Obari: You’ve heard me say this to your face, I mean it every time. I am so impressed by your work. Your consistency is astonishing. Every Fri-day for years, rain, sleet or snow, you are standing outside on 79th What street? giving free food and love to the people. Tell me about Feed The People. How did it start? When was the first moment you went from idea to action?

Brandon: Short version, I used to work at an elementary school and on several occasions, the school was literally put on lockdown, because there were shootings around the school. Folks were literally shooting in the alley where parents where coming to pick up their 5 and 6-year-old children.  That puzzled me. Like how y’all shooting round a school where you know babies are? More importantly, how can I let that slide!?!? So, after work, I would walk around the neighborhood and just vibe with people. I’m shy so I wasn’t doing nothing too major. I would just walk around, look people in their eye, and speak: “Hey how you doing?” “What’s up nice shoes. I like your hair.” Other times I would just stand and be present.
After a while, I made several flyers, one for the elders and a few different ones for the young folks, in the community. On the flyers were several bullet points offering food for thought about community building, self-awareness, our condition as a people, and accountability. I posted the flyers and put them in people’s hands. I received decent feedback from some of the young guys in the neighborhood. I remember a few asked for extra copies to give to their friends. Another told me he taped the flyer to his wall. 

After several weeks of doing this, the food issue emerged. I told couple of my friends the idea about coming to the community to vibe with the people and serve food on 79th and Cottage Grove. My homies Ta-mika and Mercedes came through and my Granny cooked a pot of black-eyed peas. I remember it was about 8 p.m. the second or 3rd week in November of 2011. It was cold and dark. We were all kind of nervous. I grabbed the card table and set it up, outside, in front of an old abandoned restaurant. Grabbed the food, plastic spoons, and styrofoam cups. I think a lady walked up and asked what we were doing. I responded with, “we got some ol school down south black-eyed peas and since it’s you, I’ll give you a cup for free 99” That’s how it began.

Obari: What sustains you? After all this time, no one would blame you for discontinuing this, yet you persist week after week, with no grant, no awards, despite obstacles. Why?

Brandon: I think the work has to be done. I actually would love to step down and/or play a lesser role. Or go to another location and begin another one there. That was actually the goal to duplicate FTP initiatives throughout the city. But if I stop doing it on 79th and Cottage and begin doing it in another area, who will fill the void. Who will CONSISTENTLY step up and uphold that space and model of community love, connection, and grassroots outreach???

Obari: What have been some of the best moments out there?

Brandon: The best moments have been the genuine connections and relationships that have been established and just planting seeds. Many times people come up and ask me why I do this and I tell them. I don’t know how to fully capture it in words but you can see certain societal lies and blockages being removed and certain areas of their heart, spirit, and sense of possibility reactivating.

Obari: What have been some of your disappointments?

Brandon: Me not figuring out how to get other men to consistently buy into the process. Not being able to expand to other areas and tiers of the process. Like I mentioned I expected this to be in at least 20 to 50 other areas by now, community sustained. With peace circles attached to it. With re-entry initiatives attached to it. Saturday schools, community gardens, community patrols, wholistic substance abuse initiatives attached to it. Financial literacy, cultural, and political education classes attached to it. Instead, it’s still myself, 1 or 2 maybe 3 revolving volunteers, a card table, and big pot of soup lol.

Obari: What have you learned about yourself and the community throughout this process?

Brandon: The beauties and resiliency of our people. The challenges and complexity of what’s required for us as a people to win. A more specific lesson is that the community changes A LOT. Every 6-18 months the community changes. The young and older folks I was building a solid rapport and relationships with for the past 9 months disappear. And then a whole new crop of people emerge and the community and the cycle repeats itself. I think that’s one of the difficulties with passing the initiative over to the community. The hood keeps changing.

Obari: What do you need from the community to keep this going? What do you specifically need from men?

Brandon: My granny cooked for the program the 1st year and a half. I’ve been the primary cook for the past 7 years. So, if anyone is willing to sponsor once a week, or once a month or once every other month that would be great. If any healers, mental health professionals, motivational speakers, counselors, musical artists, great listeners, and others want to come out and listen or share a genuine word with the people, on a one on one or small group discussion, it would be great and most needed. 

If you’re a skilled musician and want to play some live music on the block that would be magical. If you or your organization has some resources educational, financial housing or other resources, come through and share. Also, if anyone wants to duplicate this in their area, I would certainly welcome them to come and check us out. Observe how and what we do. Of course, add your own energy and flavor to it and make it happen.

*Brandon can be contacted at communityedchi@gmail.com