JITU K WEUSI
Jitu Weusi is an educator, co-founder of numerous cornerstone organizations within Brooklyn. He is co-founder of The East, a Pan African community arts and cultural organization, originally at 10 Claver Place. And since the 1960s, he has partnered with Albert Vann and many others to encourage self determination within the Black Bedford Stuyvesant community.
As co-founder of the African American Teachers Association and African American Student Association, he advocated for more Black teachers and community control of the school system. In 1968, Weusi was instrumental in the teachers strike along with other young educators such as; Randy Tobias, Al Vann, Oliver Patterson, Leroy Lewis, Joan Eastman, and Ola Cherry. However, after a long fight, the establishment won relinquishing control to the teachers union.
His dream of educating Black students about their history, heritage, and culture was later realized with the establishment in 1976 of the Uhuru Sasa school, a part of The East's numerous institutions. One major legacy of The East is its African Street Festival, which has now become the International African Arts Festival at Commodore Barry Park.
The East also started a bookstore, restaurant, catering business, food co-op, a newspaper called Black News, a recording label, and a jazz venue which hosted notable artists such as Max Roach, Roy Ayers, Betty Carter, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Olu Dara, Freddie Hubbard, and Sun Ra.
Later, he went on to continue his love of jazz as chairman of the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium. You can still find his jazz legacy producing beautiful music and performances at Sistas Place on the corner of Nostrand Avenue.
IN 2021, Clinton Hill Plaza WAS RENAMED AFTER JITU CELEBRATING HIS LIFE AND LEGACY.
For more on Baba Jitu visit
https://ourtimepress.com/renaming-putnam-plaza-to-honor-jitu-weusi-was-right-good-and-necessary/
https://ibw21.org/commentary/jitu-k-weusi-a-great-organizer-and-master-teacher/
You can also find out more about The East with a brand new documentary
https://bkreader.com/2021/11/01/new-film-celebrates-legacy-of-the-east-bed-stuys-historic-afrocentric-organization/