Malik Yakini

Michigan Nightlight: What does being a leader mean to you?
Detroit Black Community Food Security Network Executive Director Malik Yakini: Leaders are not rulers; being a leader means being humble and willing to do any task that I would ask someone else to do. Being a leader also means having vision and the capability to convey that vision to others.

Racism is part of every aspect of American society; it affects who is favored, and the distribution of funding often perpetuates inequities.

 
What is your dream for kids?
I want all children to have a strong sense of identity and confidence in themselves. Every child needs to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to create a self-reliant future.
 
What is one concrete thing that could be done to improve the environment for social sector work in Michigan?
We need to address racism and how that impacts funding for nonprofit organizations. Racism is part of every aspect of American society; it affects who is favored, and the distribution of funding often perpetuates inequities.
 
How do you know you’re making progress?
We need to do a better job of tracking and measuring our successes; right now, we don’t have a lot of data. However, I see progress in the increases of number of people volunteering, the number of groups requesting tours of the farm, the number of requests we get to present at workshops and conferences, and the increase in funding we’re receiving.         
 

I’m most proud of the fact that we’ve grown from a small idea to one of the leading organizations doing food security work, not only in Detroit, but nationally.

What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the fact that we’ve grown from a small idea to one of the leading organizations doing food security work, not only in Detroit, but nationally. We’re a grassroots organization that has grown directly out of the community.
 
What role have networks played in your professional career? How have those networks affected the work you are able to do?
The most important network in my career has been the grassroots community network and knowing a wide number of people making change in the city of Detroit. An example of how this has benefitted our work: a few members of DBCFSN had already worked with city council members Joanne Watson and Kwame Kenyatta, which facilitated DBCFSN obtaining the license agreement for use of land in Rouge Park.