Edible Activist Podcast

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 blueprint will challenge institutions and those with power to help transform systemic change in the Chesapeake Region. Tune in!

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 explorative journey to uncovering her agricultural roots in The Sip!

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 EJ, their plant-based baby boy who loves sea moss! Tune in!

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, recounting great grandma's massive garden, peeling back stories of apple drying and okra stews. We also learn that Chae lived on the land with her grandparents that they owned in South Boston, VA, waking up early mornings to do groundwork, in hopes that grandpa would give her a horse. Chae never got her horse (haaa). Tune in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

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. Senteria claims she has "green hands, not thumbs" (haaaa), telling the story of how she flung (literally) cucumber seeds in the front yard of the parentals' house, without any intention, and BAM; they grew like wildfire. Now she's feeling herself...ahem, empowered. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

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 frustration in the midst of racial tension. Francois also transparently shares the realities of being tethered to their home, while building businesses, maintaining their homestead (+ two other sites), and raising a family. Tune in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

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 Baba Oduno, "there is no culture without agriculture." Period! Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

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 sustainable lives. In this episode, Ronnie talks about making lemonade out of lemons and how they are utilizing the virtual space to keep the youth growing. "They will be teaching their parents," says Ronnie! Tune in to hear more about the creative changes they are implementing to keep the health marathon moving and much more! Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

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 demanding. Tune in to learn about the outpouring support from the D.C. community to support FOTS, Tate also talks about mental health awareness, and we discuss their latest meal delivery pilot: Local Food for Local Heroes. Tune in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

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, and other farm animals roamed the grounds. And as a creative who navigated to New York City, and eventually D.C. she gives credit to her hard-working dad, who surpassed a life expectancy by 18 years, for the values and entrepreneurial spirit she carries til this day. In this episode, we learn about Amanda's business that started as a food incubator in Ward 8, she addresses black entrepreneurship and the wealth disparities that exist, and how the business has been adapting during COVID-19. Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

"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 this episode, we catch up on Kevin's latest growing project at a senior citizen center in Capitol Heights, he shares his thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic, and he leaves us with an "Alsop Starter Growing Kit" for beginning growers. Tune in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

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 legacy of farmers and sharecroppers down her lineage. In this episode, we zoom in on Tonya's family story, and her platforms: Plant & Shoot and The Zen Camera Club, which she founded as a self-care practice to meditate by photographing nature. Tonya believes that meditation isn't for everyone, however, she notes that our still focus can serve as a channel for zen. *This episode was pre-recorded.* Tune in! Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant. 

"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 kickoff #Juneteenth, and she gives us a taste of her upcoming WANDA Academy. Tune in! *This episode was pre-recorded.* Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

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 to grow food, bringing markets and black farmers to the congregation. This episode dives into the relationship between the black church and agriculture, the land being a major asset, along with how churches might need to pivot given the current climate. Pastor Brown also speaks on their latest project: The Black Church Census which will be a gamechanger assess data on black church-owned land! Tune in! *Please note that this episode was pre-recorded.* Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant Food.

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 American History and Culture, and she reminds us that plants have a vibe. Tune in! *Please note that this episode was pre-recorded during Ramadan*. Powered and distributed by Simplecast. Sponsored by Giant.

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 power to take black lives? When will the system die and start afresh? This special episode unpacks some of these frustrations as we chat with criminal defense and police misconduct attorney, Martinis Jackson. A Howard University School of Law graduate, Martinis is the founder of Jackson Legal Services based in Washington, DC, and hails from Memphis, TN where he has experienced social issues in a mostly black city. He is also the author of Justice My Way: Memoirs of a Black Prosecutor which we talk about in this show, in addition to the rights of protesters, and preparing for the fight ahead. **Please note that this sho

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-grandfather's legacy as a sharecropper. This episode unravels Jennifer's family food story, highlights her farming experiences in Washington, D.C., and we pay a visit to Cleveland where she is back organizing voter campaigns, while still growing food. Tune in! Powered and distributed by SimplecastSponsored by Giant.

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 County Parks in which she oversees 11 garden sites (to include over 500 gardeners, whoa!), and how to use this time during quarantine to do what makes you the happiest! Powered and distributed by Simplecast.Sponsored by Giant.