Uhuru Book Fair & Flea Market in Philadelphia Oct 17th

Uhuru Book Fair & Flea Market (UBFFM) is an education and economic development project of the African People's Education and Defense Fund (APEDF), supporting programs for education, health, sustainable economic development, and self-determination by and for the African community. UBFFM will be a free all-day festival in West Philadelphia's Clark Park featuring poetry, spoken word, authors & their books, special activities for children, music, food, and vendors! Free education resources will be available throughout the day to address adult literacy, English as a Second Language (ESL), and the community-wide lack of access to reading materials and education resources. Our featured guest and keynote speaker is Chairman Omali Yeshitela, founder and leader of the Uhuru Movement as well as a world-renowned author, speaker, and African liberation movement leader. APEDF has been hosting festivals and flea markets in Clark Park for 10 years and counting! We have partnered with many other nonprofits, service & community organizations, businesses, performers, speakers, vendors, and shoppers alike. With strong support from the West Philadelphia community, we are planning our first book fair to be a memorable and empowering day for the community! In Philadelphia - a city where the majority of people are African and Puerto Rican - over 40% of residents do not have a high school diploma. This leads to unemployment, poverty, lack of job opportunities, lower wages for families, and even leads to shorter life expectancy. Philadelphia schools are underfunded by $1.35 billion. In 2012-13, despite an overwhelming community outcry, the city of Philadelphia closed 30 black-community schools. At the same time, they cut back on school nurses and other services, which further undermined the educational progress of the city's 142,000 school children and their families. APEDF and our many partners are committed to building community-based solutions that have a lasting, positive impact on the education, health, and economic development of our community. We know the solution will only come from the community ourselves, by building our own programs for self-reliance in the African community. Everyone is needed to get involved!