As Shareef Abdul-Malik’s wife browsed the aisles of the Dekalb Farmer’s Market in Atlanta, something truly unsettling happened.
A white man moved her filled cart without her permission. She responded by instructing him not to move her things, only for the man’s wife to further escalate the incident.
The woman raised her voice and venomously called her “a bad person,” as though her very presence was offensive and somehow wrong.
When Shareef learned of the altercation, he felt enraged, protective, and suddenly inspired to do the unimaginable.
He plans to establish Soul Food Market, the first 100% Black-owned grocery store stocked with produce from Black farmers, and goods manufactured and supplied by Black businesses, including toiletries and other home essentials.
Shareef dreams of turning around the health and economic profile of the Black community with jobs and profits that support us and shift the perception of our presence in many industries.
In the words of Abdul-Malik, “Having a successful supermarket where all the products sold are from our community will quickly change the perception in our community that we are not farmers, producers, and manufacturers.”
The $1.2 million project is currently seeking donors interested in realizing a shopping experience where Black people are not made to support businesses that funnel profits out of our community to owners who violate our right to exist and feed our families in peace.