Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Bradley.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m often faced with intense feelings of reflection when asked to share my story in how I essentially arrived to where I am today. The reality is that it’s somewhere in between divine intervention and the personal will to know more or how I often phrase, “challenge one’s comfort zone.”
The Afrikan Restoration Project, which serves as the community initiative of Shades of Afrika, a black-owned business located on the diverse and culturally expressive 4th Street in Long Beach, is the source of inspiration that aided in my personal growth and development.
I, being a Long Beach native, born and raised, first came across Shades of Afrika during 10th grade as a student at Long Beach Polytechnic High School when I actually lived off of 4th & Tile near in what is now Bud’s Liquor Store. Initially, the first thing that came to mind was in what I perceived at the time the “misspelling” of Africa. “That’s odd,” I thought. “Why would you spell Africa with a k instead?” That question came across my mind often when I walked passed the business during the week to get to 4th & Atlantic where the 60’s Bus Route would stop by en route to Long Beach Poly High. I would get the answer to that question two years later during my senior year in 2011-12.
However, this essentially is where my story begins. Looking back, walking past Shades of Afrika everyday was a divine symbol of what was to come in my life. During this time, now being in the 11th grade, I took an intense liking to Black empowerment rhetoric & civil rights struggles. From the reading of the Autobiography of Malcolm X, books and documentaries on SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), Black Panther Party’s Ten Point Program, Black Hebrew Israelite theology, and classic videos, lectures, and sermons from the Nation of Islam, which I would end up writing my Junior Thesis on. This was all an intentional effort to become one with my blackness and free in my blackness. But throughout all of this, questions still remained that I needed answers too.
On occasion when I walked past Shades of Afrika I would come across an older black woman who would be standing either directly in front of the store or at the very least a couple of steps away from it. The older black woman was more so on the heavy set side, had very short hair almost to the point where she looked bald and wore this unique face paint that almost resembled tribal African women from the continent. If I could describe her presence in one word, it would be ‘MAJESTIC’.
Nonetheless, as I would walk on the opposite side of the street where the Mc’Donalds is, she would wave and smile consistently from the opposite side almost to a sense it felt like she was enchanting me to cross the street. I couldn’t quite make out what this experience was at the time, however looking back I am assured this was a divine symbol for me to explore Shades of Afrika.
The moment would come when my mother, who took a notice that I was inspired, encouraged, and heavily interested in Black Consciousness & Black Empowerment, went to Shades of Afrika, talked with the owner, Re’nee Quarles, and bought a book for me there titled; “Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy Is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy” by George GM James. I would come to find that in Black Consciousness circles, this was one of the most important books you could read, however at that time for me it was just another book. I was grateful for my Mother buying that book. The book takes an intense study in how all of which made ancient Greece and European empires powerful were all arts, sciences, mathematics, architecture, practices and knowledge from Ancient Egypt. The book declares boldly that the original Egyptian people were dark-skinned African people with rich melanin. It was after reading this book, now being in my senior year at Long Beach Poly (2011-12), that I took the initiative to finally step foot in Shades of Afrika.
About two years overdue, I stepped foot in the black-owned business and became immensely overwhelmed in how beautiful and well put together the store was. I mean everything was so perfectly aligned, neat, and the burning smell of Incense and SAGE filled the air, it was everything. With all of the significant pictures of black leaders on the wall, healthy alternative black-owned products, the most important room to me was the library which contained almost every Black Empowerment book you could imagine. From: Message To The Blackman, The Isis Papers, Yurugu, Powernomics, The Destruction of Black Civilization, and again Stolen Legacy, I had found the answer to those many questions I had. The answer was simply knowledge of self, and knowledge of self comes through experience, but also through reading and education. As far as I knew, these books were 10x more interesting than anything I read in school.
When I got a chance to ask Re’nee, the owner of Shades of Afrika, why she spelled Africa with a “k” instead, she gave me a full history lesson on the importance of it. “In the spelling Afrika, a ‘k’ is used rather than a ‘c’ because for many black community members the “k” represents an acknowledgment that ‘Africa’ is not the true name of that vast continent, however received that name through the process of European invasion and colonization. When one speaks of Afrika, they’re bringing an Afrikan-centered view to the meaning. Therefore, the Afrika spelled with a ‘k’ represents a redefined and potentially different Afrika, and also it symbolizes a coming back together of Afrikan people worldwide.” With that a two year question I had was answered and my eyes were open.
Re’nee, along with Brotha Kwesi Osafo, would invite me to the Afrikan Restoration Project, also referred to as the study group, which met every Thursday from 7:30pm to 10pm to discuss different Black and African world views, receive diverse community presentations concerning Black people throughout the diaspora, and offer solutions to aid in that. Brotha Kwesi, was the facilitator and he actually brought me into the study group with open arms and I would begin to treat attending these meetings as educational, or school beyond Poly High.
At this time, I no longer lived on 4th street, we had moved closer to central Long Beach, so I would make an effort to drive to the study group and learn religiously every Thursday night. The group mainly consisted of older black community members at least 35 and older, so me being a skinny black kid only 17 at the time, everyone befriended me and were proud that I was attending of my own free will and accord. This was encouraging and I couldn’t help but to share with family and friends everything I was learning, and how much more proud I was to be Black. The study group combatted the negative and limited narratives often associated with Black people.
As I began college at Long Beach State University, I knew immediately I had to connect with the Black Student Union on campus as a way to have somewhere to culturally identify with amongst being on a PWI. Amongst BSU and the Afrikan Restoration Project at Shades of Afrika I had safe spaces to be 100% authentically Black with no compromise. From 2015 to 2017, I would be elected as Black Student Union President at Long Beach State University and everything went up from there in regards to my leadership development. The Black Student Union would receive grants every year to function and put together programming that would benefit the membership base. At the time, I had made an intentional effort to bridge black students on campus with the larger black community beyond campus as way to practice unity. We accomplished this through conferences, workshops, food drives, back to school drives, and support of other existing black centered organizations in the community. In 2015 Black Lives Matter grew to great social prominence with the murder of Mike Brown, and the social uprisings that occurred afterwards in Ferguson. A local chapter in Los Angeles and Long Beach had emerged so members of the Black Student Union and Afrikan Restoration Project wanted to organize, support, and collaborate against local cases of Police Brutality such as Ezell Ford.
Today, I serve as the President of the Afrikan Restoration Project today and continue to support the current leaders of the Black Student Union locally. What remains consistent and true however, is that all of the positivity and change that has occurred over the past few years, none of this would be possible without Re’nee and her vision of implementing Shades of Afrika as not only a black-owned business but a hub of knowledge that will inspire many black boys, girls, men, and women to do for self and contribute their part in the effort of black liberation and upliftment. Ase.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It certainly has not been a smooth ride. Along the way friendships have ended, arguments have certainly happened, and difference in opinion and strategy have prevented from more work being done. However, the struggle continues and the commitment to black people, black upliftment, black liberation, and black empowerment is never-ending.
Please tell us about Afrikan Restoration Project – Shades of Afrika.
Shades of Afrika is well known for its presence as a resource in the community. It provides products from all over the world that benefit Black people. The Afrikan Restoration Project serves as one of the jewels of the business because it is an intentional safe space for Black community members to confide in and be 100$ authentically themselves.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I would say my personal favorite memory of my childhood is remembering my older cousin watch the Malcolm X movie as a way to prepare for a part he would act in an upcoming play/skit where he would be Malcolm X. Watching him practice the lines and mannerisms of one our greatest Black freedom fighters was all too inspiring as it serves as one of the first real-life images of Black pride.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1001 E 4th St
Long Beach, CA 90802 - Website: https://shadesofafrika.com/
- Phone: 5624362210
- Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
- Instagram: @shadesofafrika or @arp.lbc
- Facebook: Shades Of Afrika
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/shades-of-afrika-long-beach-2
Image Credit:
Justin Bradley (President of Afrikan Restoration Project); Re’nee Quarles (Owner of Shades of Afrika); Members of Afrikan Restoration Project
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