Compost, Cotton & Cornrows

In episode 53 of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with energy justice attorney, activist and self-proclaimed "Climate Auntie" Raya Salter for an unfiltered conversation about what it truly means to fight for environmental justice in an era defined by corporate power and political upheaval. From exposing the fossil fuel industry's decades-long misinformation campaigns to reimagining what accountability, reparations and climate justice can look like, Raya offers an expansive framework for understanding how law, policy and grassroots organizing intersect to create transformational change.

Throughout the conversation, Dominique and Raya explore the importance of intergenerational leadership, why Black communities have always been environmental solutionists, and the urgent need to center public health, storytelling and cultural organizing within the climate movement. Raya reflects on founding the Energy Justice Law & Policy Center, building youth leadership, navigating philanthropy without compromising values. They also dig in why today's movements require new laws and more importantly new leadership to reimagine futures. 

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

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In this profound and deeply reflective episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with acclaimed author, essayist and climate writer Mary Annaïse Heglar for a conversation about what it means to bear witness in a world shaped by ecological crisis. Drawing from her upbringing in Alabama and Mississippi, Mary reflects on the Black Southern traditions, elders and landscapes that first taught her environmental stewardship happening before sustainability became a mainstream movement. Together, they explore how storytelling, memory and lived experience become powerful tools for challenging dominant environmental narratives.

Throughout the conversation, Dominique and Mary unpack the complicated relationship between mainstream environmentalism and Black communities, the emotional realities of writing through climate collapse … buy also, why honesty remains the highest calling of any artist. From discussing her acclaimed novel Troubled Waters and children's book The World Is Ours to Cherish to exploring caregiving, gardening, generational healing and the importance of reclaiming Southern environmental histories. Mary offers a timely reminder that the future will be shaped by the stories we choose to tell, whose voices we amplify and our willingness to return to the wisdom that has always lived within our communities.

https://www.maryannaiseheglar.com/

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows

In this deeply personal episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with creative director, stylist, vintage curator and image consultant Talia Bella for a conversation that expands what sustainable fashion can truly mean. Together, they move beyond conversations about fabrics and production practices to explore style as survival and self-expression. Drawing from her upbringing between Washington, D.C. and New York, Talia reflects on how family, vintage clothing, community and lived experience shaped her understanding of fashion. Through stories of healing and finding beauty in unexpected places, she reminds us that our communities have always practiced sustainability, we just called it living.

Throughout the conversation, Dominique and Talia unpack the invisible labor behind fashion, the importance of supporting emerging designers, the nuance of mixing high and low fashion and why sustainability should never be mistaken for scarcity. They also offer an honest look at navigating the fashion industry as Black women, protecting creative integrity, responding thoughtfully rather than reactively and building careers rooted in collaboration instead of competition. Rich with humor, vulnerability and hard-earned wisdom, this episode is a powerful reminder that the clothes we wear unearth how we've learned to sustain ourselves across generations.

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows

What if the scientific method had a soundtrack? In this inspiring episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with Jamaican American artist, environmental scientist and educator Jordan Ayanna (better known as The Singing Scientist), to explore what happens when music becomes a tool for climate education, cultural storytelling and collective transformation. From conducting oyster research in the middle of the ocean to writing songs that teach children about ecosystems, Jordan shares how her upbringing that’s rooted in Jamaican and Southern traditions, while also revealing that sustainability wasn't something that was LIVED! Together, they unpack why science shouldn't remain trapped in academic journals, how rhythm can make complex environmental concepts accessible and why creativity may be one of our greatest climate solutions. jordan-interview.txt

Throughout the conversation, Jordan reflects on founding WYNU Worldwide (Wake Your Neighbors Up), the importance of communicating science in ways everyday people can actually understand and the responsibility of artists to shape culture while protecting the planet. Dominique and Jordan also discuss Hurricane Melissa, environmental grief, Black sustainability across the diaspora and why the future of climate leadership depends on valuing storytellers, creative communicators as essential movement builders. 

https://www.wakeyourneighborsup.com/about

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows

In this expansive episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with André Ware, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Bee U NYC, an organization using urban beekeeping as a gateway to environmental education, leadership development and career pathways for underrepresented youth. Born and raised in Brooklyn, André reflects on how transformative travel experiences (from Chile and Kenya to the Peace Corps) shaped his worldview and ultimately informed his approach to youth development. Together, Dominique and André explore why experiential learning remains one of the most powerful tools for helping young people connect classroom lessons to the realities of climate change, environmental justice and community advocacy. From beekeeping and green jobs to global citizenship and cultural exchange, André shares how expanding a young person's sense of possibility can become a catalyst for lifelong leadership.

Throughout the conversation, André offers a compelling vision for what equitable environmental education can look like when it is rooted in access, mentorship and community. He discusses Bee U NYC's work engaging predominantly Black and brown youth through hands-on beekeeping, paid fellowships and partnerships with organizations such as Weeksville Heritage Center and the Gowanus Canal Conservancy. Together, they unpack the importance of supplemental education beyond traditional classrooms, the urgent need to invest in youth opportunities, and the environmental justice realities many young people are already navigating. Grounded in the collective wisdom of the hive itself, André reminds us that meaningful change requires collaboration, interdependence and a shared commitment to future generations. This conversation is a powerful testament to what becomes possible when we equip young people not only with knowledge, but with experiences that help them imagine and build a more just future. 

https://beeunyc.org/

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows

In this joyful and deeply affirming episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with Crystal Walker, better known online as Compost Fairy, a radical composter, gardener and educator who is transforming how people think about their relationship to waste. Together, they explore composting not simply as a gardening technique, but as a cultural practice rooted in reciprocity, regeneration and community care. Crystal breaks down the science of composting in accessible terms while also revealing how majestic it is for organic matter to transform into nutrient-rich soil that nourishes future life.

Throughout the conversation, Crystal and Dominique have a time discussing the urgent need to make composting more accessible at the community and municipal level. From debunking common misconceptions about odors and pests to envisioning a future where composting is as commonplace as recycling, Crystal offers a powerful reminder that sustainability never requires perfection, expensive equipment or a particular aesthetic. It simply asks us to participate in the cycles of giving back. With warmth, humor and practical wisdom, this episode invites listeners to see compost not as waste management, but as a living blueprint for transformation, abundance and collective responsibility.

https://compost-fairy.com/

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows

In this deeply expansive episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with environmental justice legal strategist Victoria Elizabeth Whalen for a conversation rooted in land, memory, climate justice and the fight for future generations. From growing up Black in sacrifice zones across the American South to discovering how redlining, pollution and systemic racism shaped her lifelong battle with asthma, Victoria shares a powerful personal journey that illuminates the inseparable connections between race, place and environmental harm. Together, they unpack how extractive systems continue to disconnect communities from land while also exploring the urgent need for joy, thriving futures and collective healing beyond survival.

As Project Manager for the Future Generations Tribunal and People’s Climate Diplomacy Program, Victoria also offers a profound look into the power of youth-centered climate advocacy, community testimony and grassroots storytelling across global climate spaces. From East Africa to the American South, this episode explores how frontline communities are building living archives of evidence, reclaiming narrative power and demanding justice through intergenerational solidarity. Dominique and Victoria dive deep into Indigenous knowledge systems, community-led research, reparations, trauma-informed organizing and what it truly means to create ethical, sacred spaces for vulnerable communities to speak their truth. This conversation is a moving reminder that climate justice is about protecting culture, honoring lived experiences and ensuring future generations have the right to thrive. 

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows

How are Black fathers navigating their own postpartum depression in a world that rarely gives them space to feel? In this deeply moving episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with Dallas-based advocate, father and founder of Daddy Stroller Social Club, Kalvin Bridgewater, for an honest conversation about Black fatherhood, emotional wellness and redefining masculinity through care. From becoming certified as a doula to support his wife during a home birth, to navigating postpartum depression as a new father, Kalvin opens up about grief, vulnerability, generational healing and the urgent need for safe spaces where men can tell the truth about what they’re carrying.

Together, they explore how intentional community can become pathways toward collective healing. Kalvin shares how Daddy Stroller Social Club is helping fathers build deeper relationships with themselves, their children and their partners through honest dialogue, journaling, movement, outdoor experiences and mutual support. From touching leaves during moments of overwhelm to watching fathers openly express love, this episode is a powerful reflection on what happens when Black men are creating their own spaces to show up fully for their families and themselves.

https://daddystrollersocialclub.com/

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows

What does it mean to build an independent luxury brand rooted in restoration instead of extraction? This week on Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique Drakeford sits down with Tammuz Davis, founder of COVE -  a London-based vintage jewelry brand transforming forgotten archival pieces into modern statements of individuality, sustainability and cultural memory. Together, they unpack the environmental cost of overproduction, the emotional and cultural significance of jewelry in Black communities and why slowing down may be one of the most radical acts of resistance in today’s hyper-consumer culture.

From growing up wearing hand-me-downs to building a brand backed by integrity instead of endless growth, Tammuz shares an honest reflection on anxiety, entrepreneurship, rejection and choosing purpose over capitalism’s obsession with scale. This conversation moves beyond fashion trends and into deeper questions around identity, value, aspiration and what it really means to consume consciously in a world drowning in excess.

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows

In this expansive and grounding episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique Drakeford sits in powerful conversation with Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd, a globally recognized climate scientist, former president of the American Meteorological Society, and one of the most trusted voices translating atmospheric science into everyday life. From his early days at NASA to advising national and global leaders, Dr. Shepherd brings both rigor and realness by breaking down climate change not as an abstract future crisis, but as a present-day force shaping everything from grocery bills to public health. With clarity and urgency, he reframes sustainability through the lens of resilience. He understands how wealth gaps define who survives and who is left vulnerable in a rapidly shifting climate.

Together, they move beyond surface-level solutions and into the systems that actually shape our realities, naming the deep inequities driving climate vulnerability while refusing to stay in despair. Dr. Shepherd introduces his “kitchen table” framework, connecting extreme weather to daily life, and offers a blueprint for meaningful engagement rooted in policy, community co-creation and trust-building. From urban heat islands shaped by redlining to the rise of compound disasters, this conversation bridges science, culture and lived experience. As Dr. Shepherd makes clear, we don’t have another planet to figure this out on. And so the work ahead demands both accountability and collective action, grounded in truth and designed for survival.

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows