Kasib Abdullah: Ebonettes 2020 “Dare to Make a Difference” Honoree
DURHAM, NC – Kasib Abdullah, founder of Believers United for Progress (BUFP) and owner of New Visions of Africa restaurant, hosts a daily community kitchen program and serves youth at two community centers through his organization. Once a month, BUFP also provides meals for the residents of Durham Urban Ministries and serves meals to seniors on a quarterly basis.
Brother Kasib was to have been honored at The Ebonettes Service Club’s 48th Founders Day that was scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 2020. The Covid 19 pandemic canceled the celebration. Brother Kasib received the 2020 “Dare to Make a Difference” Award (virtually)in the Service to Youth and Community category. Since 2002, the Founders Day program annually has showcased hard-working Durham citizens in the “Dare to Make A Difference Recognition Program.”
[Watch] Bro. Kasib Abdullah talks about the Community Meal at New Visions of Africa:
The other outstanding 2020 “Dare to Make a Difference” Honorees are Juliet Black, Garisha Davis, Joseph K. Davis, Jr., Queen Lawrence, Rev. Dr. William M. McCoy, Jr., Angela Pittman, Gail S. Taylor, and Judge Doretta Walker.
About Kasib Abdullah
Kasib Abdullah, born Wayne Stith in Montclair, New Jersey, grew up in Newark, NJ, and attended Essex County (NJ) Schools. After graduating from high school, Kasib worked for three years in Upper Montclair, NJ for Alex Gowns as an assistant to the owner–buying, selling, delivering, and taking inventory. While at Alex Gowns, Kasib met and married Mary Jones, now known as Ghalyah Abdullah, and they had five children. Also during that time of their marriage, which lasted for twenty years, the family joined the Nation of Islam and legally changed to their current Islamic names.
For the next seven years of his professional career, Brother Kasib was an entrepreneur; he partnered with two other brothers from the Temple to own and operate a grocery store, a meat market, and a produce store. The family members of all of the owners worked at these businesses; e.g., his daughter, Rashaunah, recalls standing on milk crates to bag food at the stores. For Brother Kasib, the stores became an opportunity to develop community life in the area as well as to explore other entrepreneurial activities or as he calls it, “street life.” Brother Kasib’s lifestyle led to the dissolution of his marriage to Ghalyah.
Moving to Durham in 1995, he found work with FDS Cleaning Service, serving as a manager for a nighttime cleaning crew. Sometime later, through his relationship with the cleaning service, he was able to join IBM as a day worker. Kasib started as a forklift driver in the warehouse and later established himself as a ‘go-to person’ for his managers, helping them to increase productivity in the manufacturing department.
In 2005, Brother Kasib partnered with his nephew, Raheem Muhammed, and another brother from the local mosque to start New Visions of Africa, a restaurant located in the Hayti community on Fayetteville Street. Eventually, he became the sole proprietor of the restaurant. New Visions of Africa had been in business for less than a year when it was time for Ramadan to be observed, a time when Muslims all over the world renew their focus on spiritual life and its practical application in daily life. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink during daylight hours. On one of the evenings of Ramadan, a few of the brothers and sisters of the local mosque assisted Brother Kasib with feeding more than eighty people for free. The experience led him and others from the mosque to discuss forming a nonprofit organization to help address needs in the community. The talk resulted in the creation of Believers United for Progress (BUFP).
Brother Kasib became the executive director of BUFP in 2007 and for the next six years, he successfully ran both New Visions of Africa and Believers United for Progress. BUFP grew to provide free food to afterschool and summer youth programs; providing food for others is at the center of everything that BUFP does. Currently, BUFP hosts a daily community kitchen program and serves youth at two community centers. Once a month, BUFP also provides meals for the residents of Durham Urban Ministries and serves meals to seniors on a quarterly basis. Brother Kasib also serves as the treasurer for Masjid Muhammed. When he is not running BUFP, he is baking, packaging, and filling orders for his cake business, Party Kakes.
Since his move to North Carolina, Brother Kasib has received numerous awards and honors for his work in the community. Recently he received a 2019 community award at the 50th annual Bimbe Cultural Arts Festival sponsored by Durham Parks and Recreation.
Brother Kasib is married to Karen Santoro. He has eight children: Rashaunah Abdullah, Habeeah Brantley, Nadiah Abdullah, Labeeb Abdullah, Ayesha Abdullah, Desiree Brooks, Nadirah Hargrove, and Nafeesah Hargrove; twelve grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.