Foot Soldiers

In 2000, a childhood friend of Barnabas Uba Shakur, (Foot Soldiers Owner) was accused and found guilty of a crime. Only 19 at the time of his arrest and a member of a notorious street gang called the Bloods, he was given a life sentence. Upon his friend's conviction, Barnabas was devastated and decided to create change. In 2003, at the age of 23, he founded a nonprofit organization called Bed Stuy's Project Re-Generation, Inc. (PRG) to help teens from his neighborhood not fall victim to the same circumstance. 

The PRG catapulted in 2005 with support from the NY Foundation and other foundations and started a community cleaning initiative for homeowners. Through the organization's programs more than 1,000 teenagers joined, hundreds of local property owners participated and reached over 3,000 Brooklyn residents through community give-back programs.