House Of Umoja, Inc
5625 West Master Street (David Fattah way)
Philadelphia, PA 19131
(215) 473-5893
Website: www.houseofumoja.net
E-Mail: falakafattah@aol.com
CONTACT:
Baba Hakim Tendaji
Coordinator, Philadelphia Collard Green Cultural Festival
Site Manager - House Of Umoja, Inc.
House Of Umoja, Inc.
(215) 473-5893
E-Mail: falakafattah@aol.com
PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA) -- As it celebrates its 55th anniversary, the House Of Umoja, Inc. (https://www.houseofumoja.net)
“When I moved from California back to Philadelphia and reengaged with the House of Umoja, I felt that the House of Umoja would be a great home for and steward of the Collard Greens Cultural Festival for the City of Philadelphia. Creating a strong culture-based community that is focused on accessible holistic health and wellness, and impacting youth and young adult street culture with more positive alternatives that serve their interests and needs are among the things I want to accomplish with the Philadelphia Collard Greens Cultural Festival. Our children and our youth must be presented with an alternative to the culture of street life and the tools to develop better ways of healing. I am reminded of an African proverb which counsels us that food is our medicine and our medicine is food. Through the Philadelphia Collard Greens Cultural Festival, our children and our youth will learn that what we eat and what we put into our bodies impacts our physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being. A balanced and healthy diet which includes vegetables -- collard greens, as an example -- is a component of accessible holistic health and wellness. Collard greens serve as one of the many healthy foods that should be our medicine, and our medicine should consist of healthy foods that include collard greens. From a cultural perspective, collard greens or Sukuma, which is the Swahili word for collard greens, is prominently served at meals that include fish or meat or the main ingredient in stews in many African nations -- the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Benin; Nigeria; Tanzania; and Kenya,” explained Baba Tendaji who serves as the Coordinator of the Philadelphia Collard Greens Cultural Festival under the umbrella of the House Of Umoja, Inc..
“For fifty-five years, the House Of Umoja, Inc. has cultivated hope and peace throughout the City of Philadelphia. Through the Philadelphia Collard Greens Cultural Festival, the House Of Umoja, Inc will continue to work to cultivate hope and peace in the nation’s sixth largest metropolitan area. Poverty, poor nutrition, lack of cultural identity, dysfunctional family units, and a lack of hope are some of the underlying causative factors of the current gun violence emergency that plays out on the streets and in public transportation facilities in our great city. A recent report issued by the American Medical Association which was recently brought to my attention pointed out overt racism is the source of early deaths for African Americans. It is not difficult to see how this occurs. African Americans are more likely to live in environmentally toxic communities as they reside in older homes with old pipes through which water flows that taints their water supply while African American children attend classes in old buildings which have asbestos and old pipes that provide a tainted water supply. Most African Americans live in food deserts -- residential areas in which major food stores that could provide them with access to healthy foods -- fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products, etc. are not accessible. Then there is the issue of health disparities that encompass lack of access to expedient and high quality medical care and preventative health protocols for African Americans and the failure of health and medical professionals to administer to African American patients the proper medical protocols mandated by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to address life-threatening medical conditions and diseases It is not difficult to understand why there is such a pervasive lack of hope in the African American community. The foods, cultural events, and workshops presented by the Philadelphia Collard Greens Cultural Festival will help address many of the causes of the pervasive lack of hope in the African American community. If there is no hope, there will be no peace. The mission of the Philadelphia Collard Greens Cultural Festival of the House Of Umoja, Inc. is to cultivate hope and peace and move communities and our city to cultivate hope and embrace peace,” remarked Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the House Of Umoja, Inc.
Established in 1968, the House of Umoja, Inc. (https://www.houseofumoja.net)
To register or learn how you can become a volunteer or vendor for the 1 September 2023 through 2 September 2023 Philadelphia Collard Greens Cultural Festival which is hosted by the House Of Umoja, Inc and coordinated by its Site Manager, Baba Hakim Tendaji, visit the House Of Umoja, Inc.’s website at https://www.houseofumoja.net/
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