Edible Activist

Three Part Harmony is going solar at that their 2-acre, off-the-grid farm in Washington, DC! In this episode we chat with Gail Taylor, owner and operator, about 3PH's vision and how they have been sustaining the farm with the support of their staff, volunteers and community. We also discuss farming operations and the lift and economical support that is needed, especially for BIPOC farmers/growers,...

This episode unveils a critical set of food system recommendations for the Chesapeake Region, a report and blueprint produced by the Chesapeake Foodshed Network's Community Ownership Empowerment and Prosperity (COEP) action team. Asha Carter and Dr. Sade Anderson-Brown, COEP members, breakdown the groundwork strategies in this report as they speak truth around our monopolized food system. This blu...

Tag along with Melissa, her two aunts and Big Ma as they visit Mt. Olive, MS, a small town outside of Jackson, to explore the land where her greats called home and farmed on. In this brief episode you'll hear conversations from the car as Melissa's family treks through town, making a couple of stops along the way, while she questions family land ownership. Listen in on the start of this explorativ...

Surrounded by herbs, tea blends, and healing energy, Melissa chats with co-founder and attorney, Yasmin Collins, of Herbal Blessings about the vision behind her family's medicinal business. In this episode, we explore Yasmin's journey to decolonizing her diet, black history in the Farish Street Neighborhood Historic District (Jackson, MS), and we get to hear from the CEO: Eric T. Collins, Jr. aka...

Melissa returns to the show after taking an unexpected hiatus in September and October! Tune in as she catches listeners up about her travels to Mississippi and what brought her down south this time around!

In this candid conversation, at the cozy home of Mama Jacky and Chae Butter in Clinton, MD, the mother-daughter duo talks about their decision to garden this year. In an effort to keep their minds off the world's sorrow, they took to the garden and grew squash, watermelon, flowers, and herbs. A colorful abundance that brightended their spirits. In this episode, Mama Jacky takes us down memory lane...

Meet Senteria: cyber security professional by day, full-time mom to a teenage boy 365, and the sibling of Melissa L. Jones. In this episode, Melissa chats with her (very animated) sister about her balcony gardening experience this year, the first time she's ever attempted to grow anything. She now has hot peppers springing forth, tomatoes trying to make their way, and some new plant-friends. Sente...

After an inspiring edible visit with The Black Suburban Homesteaders, we sit down with Francois and Shanna to have an honest conversation on how they are coping during the global crisis. In this episode, Shanna unpacks the concept of rage planting which they found themselves indulged in, making space for every seed-bearing plant (talk about tomatoes out the wazoo), as a way to channel their frustr...

In this brief finale episode, hear thoughts from host, Melissa L. about black folks rising from the silos into non-black digital spaces, supporting black lives, and she shares some exciting announcements. This episode does conclude the season, but we'll be back after we recalibrate. In the meantime, check out our 80+ episodes on deck! Thanks for your support as always and remember: in the words of...

At the start of spring, The Green Scheme family would have been outdoors and in the gardens with the D.C. youth, but plans have shifted as the world takes precautions and practices social distancing. Co-founder, Ronnie Webb, and his amazing team run The Green Scheme, a dynamic organization that is "changing the scene" with a mission to bridge communities and empower youth to live healthy and susta...

While most non-essential workers have the luxury of working-from-home, first responders, along with other emergency personnel do not as they weather the pandemic. Food on the Stove's founder, Jonathan Tate, joins us for another episode to expound upon the mission work that has taken place in the midst of COVID-19, ensuring that firefighters across the city are nourished on a job that is ever-so de...

From growing up on a farm in Virginia to operating The Fresh Food Factory in Southeast, D.C., Amanda Stephenson's connection to food, farming and health has led her on a journey to educate and offer options that support the wellbeing of her community. Surry, Virginia is where Amanda's farming adventures began, growing up in this small town with siblings as they worked the land while game, ducks, a...

"Whoever controls your food source controls you" are words that Maryland-based gardener, Kevin Alsop, penetrated into our earbuds in episode #001, one that encouraged us to prepare and go back to food basics. Kevin graced our show again with his honest feelings on having to reignite his love for growing, because the business and politics of food has a way of stripping your passion. Additionally in...

The scent of tobacco, along with memories of grandma and granddaddy Arthur tend to the land isn't distant at all for Tonya Peele. As a child, the North Carolina native, gardener, and avid photographer watched her beloved grandparents plant tobacco, corn and other crops from the back of their pickup truck on the Carolina fields. So her love for the land is a natural expression of reverence for the...

"If we don't have health, we can't get wealth," says Tambra Raye, the founder of both Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture (WANDA) and Nativsol. We caught up with the former Edible Activist guest to discuss what's continuing to unfold in communities of color hit disproportionately hard by the coronavirus pandemic, her upcoming Cooking with Soul Series at The U.S. Botanic Gardens to...

After five years of growing food, The Black Church Food Security Network (BCFSN) found themselves launching a vital mission for the community during the Baltimore Uprising after the death of Freddie Gray. Founded by Pastor Heber Brown, BCFSN started with just a few seeds on the grounds of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church which then morphed into a model that would help black churches utilize their land...

Nazriah (which stands for vanguard) Muhammad is a grower who operates at the center of her Muslim faith and with the energy she absorbs from the land. In this episode we explore Nazirah's cultural identity and her family's conversion to Islam, she touches on her journey as an herbalist, we talk about her artistry and hand-pianted journals that can be found at the National Museum of African America...

Black lives have been a target dating back to slavery. From exploitation, lynchings, medical experimentation, and to apartheid, our generation has experienced trauma and genocide for years. The question is no longer why. The question is when does it end? When can families stop having hard conversations with their black kids on how to maneuver in this world? When will police stop utilizing their po...

A story that can only be told by acknowledging her Cleveland, Ohio and Georgian roots, Jennifer Lumpkin only knew food through her family. The community organizer and grower recalls memories of food swapping with family members, receiving mango shipments from auntie in Florida, and their front yard being a supermarket. They created their own food system, one that aimed to reflect her great-grandfa...

AFRO beets, Chris Riddick joins Edible Activist again to catch us up on his latest garden container projects, talks building a brand during #Rona, shares how to make "bacon" bits from potato skin, and gives us a few tips on how NOT to gain that COVID-19 weight! Listen in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast.  Sponsored by Giant.

Caterpillars, playing in the woods, and picking up insects was part of Michelle Nelson's childhood adventure, so taking up environmental studies at North Carolina A&T was a no-brainer because she always loved the sciences! This episode explores Michelle's tomboy adventures and how the outdoors became her classroom for learning, she also talks us through her role as Program Manager with Montgomery...

A life-long Detroiter of the Filipinx diaspora, shane bernrado believes in the healing power of foods to address intergenerational trauma. After suffering the loss of his father, food was a medium to help him deal with grief by connecting back to his ancestral roots, and regaining a sense of identity. This episode explores shane's heritage and a dynamic Detroit Filipino Supper Club, imbibes his an...

Earth is filled with life as we know it: humans, biodiversity, and species. But how in tune are we to life around us, how connected are we? Meet Myra Jackson, a former electrical engineer, Earth Advocate and Expert of the UN's Harmony with Nature Programme who decided at a tender age that she would be at service to the Earth. Myra gained a fascination for planetary systems and was becoming, what s...

For the last decade, Duron Chavis has committed himself to food justice work in his Richmond, VA community where inequities exist, directly impacting communities of color. In this episode, Duron paints Richmond's food landscape, detailing the history of redlining, Jim Crow and urban renewal, he also highlights his amazing Resiliency Garden project where he has led the charge to build garden beds f...

A love for gardening, spirits and connecting with people led Charismatic Creations owner, Chrissy Sheffey, to launch her mobile bartending business. After working at various restaurants in and around the city, Chrissy made a decree to own her income and entered the world of entrepreneurship in 2017. In this episode, Chrissy discusses fusing her passions to launch Charismatic Creations, shares her...