D.C. Residents Pool Resources and Do For Self

3323 16th Street NW is now owned by tenants. Photo: Kofi Owusu

By Nisa Islam Muhammad
Staff Writer
Apr 29, 2007


WASHINGTON, D.C. (FinalCall.com) - When the residents of the 12 unit building at 16th and Monroe Street NW got the letter that the owner was selling the building, they were frightened with the prospects of being homeless.

“My family was like, where are we going to go? This has been our home for 10 years. We would have to move to Maryland like so many other people,” explained Mario Lopez to The Final Call.
More and more residents of the nation’s capital are faced with rising rents and out-of-reach home costs. The answer for many facing that problem has been to move to the suburbs where in Prince George’s County, Blacks are finding their middle class life.
“With its relatively affordable housing prices and middle-income character, Prince George’s County serves as a pathway to the middle class for large numbers of lower-income, working minorities from Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County,” explained the Brookings Institute in its recently released report entitled “A Pathway to the Middle Class: Migration and Demographic Change in Prince George’s County.”
But the residents at 3323 16th Street did not want to move.
This is an international community that is being changed with the influx of anyone who could afford the rising rates to live there. Rent in that area ranges from $1,200 to $2,000. Those prices were impossible for the residents, some of whom came from El Salvador, Guadalupe, Guyana and Mexico. They were single parents, an elderly woman on a fixed income and others working from paycheck to paycheck. No one could afford to just pack up and go.
When the letters arrived, the tenants’ rent in their building ranged from $290 to $500 because of rent control—they could never find those prices anywhere else in the city.
They knew the building was for sale, but when they read the letter again, they realized that it told them that the tenants had a first right to organize and purchase the building.
“We were shocked when we got the letter, but I thought we should buy the building; we had never organized as tenants before, but now was the best time to start,” said Kofi Owusu, who had lived in the building for eight years.
“I talked to the other tenants and we decided that we could do this. So we went to work to form a tenants association and buy the building,” he said.
The Prince George’s County was ready to help the newly formed tenants association.
“We provide technical assistance and financial assistance to help residents purchase their building and convert it into a cooperative or condominium,” explained Bob Simon, contract and loan specialist for the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development.
“More and more buildings are being sold now than they were a couple of years ago. This is a sellers market. If the tenants really want to do it and can come together as a group, it’s not hard. They have to be surrounded by the proper legal and financial support. We’ve helped hundreds of families purchase their building over the last 20 years,” he told The Final Call.
That was 2002 when the 16th and Monroe Street Tenants Association formed to purchase their building. Today, they are the proud owners of the property where they live and now regulate the Nelrod International Cooperative, Inc.
“We received a 40-year loan with 1 percent interest. It was a great deal. Many of us would have been homeless or been like so many others who have to move to Maryland when they can no longer afford to stay in the city,” said Mr. Owusu.
“Now we’re looking for a developer to help us renovate the building. We’re committed to keeping the rent affordable for the tenants. We’ve raised the rent $200 to help us meet our expenses, but we kept Miss Ethel’s rent, the 80-year-old mother of the house who had been in the building for 35 years, at $383 because she’s a senior citizen.”
They can do that because they own the building.
“We want a developer that will work with us to keep this building reasonable. Many want to help us, but they charge so much, we would have to dramatically raise the rent to afford them. We don’t want to do that. This building is tenant run. It’s fun raising hell with the landlord, but when you become the landlord, it’s hard work,” said Mr. Owusu, who is now president of the co-op.
The road to home ownership wasn’t easy, but they did it.
“I was the last one to sign on,” said Jean-Phillipe Bordelais to The Final Call. Mr. Bordelais has lived in the building for 16 years. “I didn’t think it could happen; I didn’t think the tenants would get together.”
Mr. Owusu was hesitant at first too. “We were ignorant and afraid when we got the letter. But we worked together. Miss Ethel made a call and the rest is history. We’re now in a position to help other tenants purchase their building.”

Help Self: What Must Be Done With The Negroes?

"Since our being brought in chains to the shores of America our brain power, labor, skills, talent and wealth have been taken, given, and spent toward building and adding to the civilization of another people. It is time for you and me, the so-called Negroes to start doing for ourselves. We must not let our children be as we, beggars of another man for his home, facilities, clothing, food, and the means of providing a living. Man depends on land for the necessities, food, clothing and shelter for survival. A prime requisite for freedom and independence is having one's own land. There can be no freedom without a people having their own land."


"As a people we must become producers and not remain consumers and employees. We must be able to extract raw material from the earth and manufacture them into something useful for ourselves. This would create jobs in production. We must remember that without land there is no production. The surplus of what we produce we would sell. This would develop a field of commerce and trade as other free and independent people whose population is less than that of the 20 million so called Negroes who are dependent in North America"


Message to the Black Man p. 56 By The Honorable Elijah Muhammad

An Example Of What Pooling Our Resources Can Produce

Muslims building dairy farm in Texas

By Jesse Muhammad Dec 15, 2010 

A shot of the 30 acres of land. Photo: Jesse Muhammad

WINNIE, Texas (FinalCall.com) - When you turn the corner on a particular county road here, a huge two-story golden colored home, a pond, cows, chickens, and horses sitting on 30 acres will likely bring a smile to your face. Following the program of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, several male members of Muhammad Mosque No. 45 have pooled their finances, knowledge, and skills to cultivate the raw milk dairy known as Pure Farms.
“Every time I come here to work on the farm I get excited because it is a great feeling to see a vision come into reality,” says Victor X, farm manager, as he operates one of the many tractors.

Pure Farm managers Victor X and Kelvin Muhammad Photo: Jesse Muhammad

Brother Victor stresses the importance of ownership and the need for people to grow their own foods. “There is nothing like seeing where your food comes from. There's nothing like eating from your own land or garden. That's the best food you can have on your table. We can't keep depending on others to feed us. We need to buy land,” he said. Twice a day, farm manager Kelvin Muhammad milks over 20 cows to fill gallons of raw milk that is sold to consumers. He and his wife reside on the farm and he feels he has found his purpose in life.
“If someone had told me years ago that I would be a dairy farmer I would have laughed at them. But I love the farm life and I love doing a work that helps provide raw milk for our people and other pure foods,” said Bro. Kelvin.
Along with the raw milk, Pure Farm is also selling raw butter, cheese, eggs, and whey protein. Soon customers will be able to eat honey produced by their bee houses situated on the land. There are plans to further expand the dairy and to use the other 20 acres that the brothers own.
Black dairy farmer Harry Lewis from Sulphur Springs, Texas, shut down his dairy operation three years ago due to a spike in the cost of cow feed after over 50 years of operation. He's overjoyed by the moves being made by the Nation of Islam members.

(1)A few of the many cows on the farm. (2)Staff and students of The Elevated Places enjoy a fi eld trip at Pure Farm. (3)Victor X is operating one of the tractors. (4)Gallons of raw milk are ready to be sold. Photos: JCourtesy of Pure Farm

“It was just me and my son managing it so it became too difficult. Many dairy farms around me are being impacted today but it is encouraging to hear about these brothers of the Nation of Islam working together to build up their dairy. It can be done in unity and I am willing to help them any way I can,” Mr. Lewis told The Final Call. Mr. Lewis, 65, was raised on a farm and was a recipient of the Agriculturalist of the Year award in his county. He said “my family always owned land dating back to the 1940s. It's important for my people to realize that land ownership is a must. You can be high tech all you want, but agriculture built this country. No milk is better than straight from the cow.”
The students and staff from The Elevated Places School saw the farm firsthand during a day-long field trip. Brother Kelvin demonstrated how the cows are milked and then how the milk is bottled. The free range chickens, which supplied the eggs for the morning breakfast, along with how bees produce honey was also explained to the children.
Dr. Akili Muhammad talked about the consumption of raw milk while Brother Victor demonstrated the use of heavy farm equipment as well as how to properly use a back hoe, tractor and shovels. The children also had fun—with a hay ride, a bouncer, games, and swing set.
To serve as further motivation, the walls of the garage are adorned with blown up images from the 1970s of Muhammad Farms and the vision of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
Other brothers who have made this farmland possible are Danny Muhammad, Isaiah Muhammad, Sylvester Muhammad, Jefferrey Muhammad, Durce Muhammad, Bryan Muhammad, Kenneth 3X, Lester X, and Jeffery Rector.
“It was great for the children to see where their food is coming from. Many of us just go the grocery store without thinking about the work it took to produce what is on the shelf. We're building this so our children can see that it can be done,” said Brother Victor.
(For more information about Pure Farms contact Durce Muhammad at 832-752-8699 or farm manager Victor X at 832-385-7245 or seals279@msn.com)

Trade and Commerce Ministry Conference - Memphis, TN

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