Nourishing Detroit’s Future: Organizing & Food Justice with Malik Yakini

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Detroit is Different welcomes back Baba Malik Yakini for the 10-year anniversary episode of the Detroit is Different podcast. As both a witness and a catalyst for change, Baba Malik shares his personal growth over the years. Understanding the importance of vision, institutional resilience, and community engagement, he reflects on the challenges and triumphs of building a sustainable movement. His commitment to creating spaces where Detroiters can reclaim agency over their food systems stands as a testament to the city’s enduring spirit of ingenuity and self-determination.

Baba Malik was the first guest on the podcast, which initially began at Le Petit Zinc restaurant without a formal studio. Over the years, the podcast has evolved, and Baba Malik, an influential mentor and community leader, returns to reflect on Detroit’s Black community. Baba Malik also shares updates about the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network and the Detroit People’s Food Co-operative, which opened a community-owned grocery store on May 1st. Throughout the discussion, he emphasizes the significance of sustained community effort, the importance of organizing, and his own journey towards self-care and balance after stepping down as Executive Director. The episode delves into history, personal growth, relationships, and the evolving roles and rites of passage at different life stages.

What began as a journey engaging hip-hop audiences, has grown into a career as a marketing consultant. As business people have seen my work, I was propositioned many times to provide graphic design, photography, videography, event planning, website development, and social media campaigning. These initial business contracts inspired me to build Creative Differences Marketing. I’ve balanced my entrepreneurial experience with formal education from Walsh College of Business and Accountancy. My degree in Marketing serves me well in understanding many of the formal, universal, and theoretical marketing approaches used in corporate environments.Formulating this business model has been anchored by the success of my BLOG ‘Detroit is Different.’ I create all content for Detroit is Different. This serves as a prototype of the ways I can design events, websites, graphics, music, podcasts, social media campaigns, and e-mail campaigns. ‘Detroit is Different’ focuses on the people and places of Detroit that add to the culture. Through these people and places, themes are driven. These themes will partner with, sponsor, and advertise for businesses and organizations using this innovative multilevel marketing approach.