Compost, Cotton & Cornrows
Compost, Cotton & Cornrows is a podcast centering Black sustainability leaders across fashion, agriculture, wellbeing and beyond. Through storytelling, culture, and climate conversations, the show explores how ancestral wisdom and modern practices can cultivate regenerative futures. Hosted by Dominique Drakeford, each episode unearths powerful insights that shift the narrative of environmental justice.
Episodes
22 episodes
Episode 21 | Cory Elliott on Youth Development, Violence Prevention, Healing in Nature & Building The Black Neighborhood
What if sustainability wasn’t about systems—but about freedom? About waking up and choosing rest, joy, or stillness—because you can?In this healing-rich episode, Dominique Drakeford sits down with Cory Elliott,...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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40:12
Episode 20 | What If You Gave the American Dream the Finger? From a Decade of Van Life to Building a Desert Homestead, Naomi Grevemberg Chooses Slow, Nomadic Living & Radical Joy—on Her Own Terms
What happens when a Black woman dares to silence the noise, leave behind the American Dream, and root herself in the wild unknown? In this soul-stirring episode, Naomi Grevemberg unpacks her decade-long nomadic journey—from the depths of burnou...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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44:40
Episode 19 | A Must-Watch: Frida Lidbom’s Powerful Doc Exposes the Toxic Truth of Waste Colonialism—While Honoring the Radical Brilliance of Ghana’s Secondhand Artisans
***Since this recording, the Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana—the heart of the documentary’s focus—has tragically burned down. In the wake of this devastation, the local community, in partnership with dedicated organizations, is actively wo...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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33:49
Episode 18 | Black Land Back Is Non-Negotiable! Author & Activist Brea Baker on Reparations, Nature-based Healing and Reclaiming Community Power
This episode is for the freedom dreamers, the soil stewards, and the truth-tellers. Brea Baker—author of Rooted—joins us to crack open the spiritual wound of stolen land, unpack the real meaning of sustainability, and call in ...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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44:28
Episode 17 | Brooklyn, Brilliant, and Already Sustainable: Hekima Hapa on Teaching Black Girls to Sew
In this stitch-and-resist episode, Dominique Drakeford sits down with textile truth-teller and cultural strategist Hekima Hapa—founder of Black Girls Sew—to talk craft, confidence, and community. What started as a mission to sew visibi...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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36:18
Episode 16 | Are Any of Your T-Shirts Made by Black Cotton Farmers? Tameka Peoples on Building Global Black Cotton to Textile Ecosystems
Let’s be real—your “woke” t-shirt might be screaming liberation, but let’s take it a step further… Is it organically grown, ginned, spun, woven, cut, and sewn by Black hands that's economically building Black global supply chains?
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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39:34
Episode 15 | From Driving Policy to Gettin’ the Coins: Ivy Walls on the True Cost of Feeding the Block as Co-Founder of a Thriving Farmer-Owned Grocery Store in Houston
What does it look like to build a thriving, profitable, and unapologetically Black owned grocery store from scratch—rooted in the soil, powered by the people, and driven by deep love for community? In this episode, Do...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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37:58
Episode 14 | Brownie Brown: This Native Nigerian Turned New Yorker is a Couture Upcycler and Helps People Reclaim Their Closets —and Their Self-Worth
In this vibrant episode, fashion stylist and creative force Brownie Brown unpacks her evolution from a fashion-obsessed kid in Nigeria to a sustainability-driven style maven in New York. We talk fast fashion, thrifting gems, and how True Co...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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32:28
Episode 13 | Kiki Jordan Is Building Oakland’s 1st Full-Spectrum Birth Sanctuary — and Divesting from White Supremacy to Reclaim the Midwifery Model of Cultural Care
In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, we’re going deep into the sacred, radical, and healing power of Black birth with none other than Licensed and Certified Professional Midwife, Kiki Jordan.Kiki’s journey started with h...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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39:32
Episode 12 | Beats, Bloodlines & Black Cotton: Julius Tillery on Reclaiming Cotton and Powering a New Era of Black Farmers
In this episode, we dig into the reclamation of cotton with Julius Tillery, a fifth-generation Black cotton farmer and unapologetic advocate for Black agricultural futures. Based in North Carolina, Julius shares how cotton isn’t just a trauma d...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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26:31
Episode 11 | 30-Inch Buss Down or Fresh Braids? Dr. Raven Baxter on the Toxic Truth Behind Synthetic Hair
We love a fresh set of braids—but at what cost? Science has spoken: synthetic hair is harming Black bodies and the planet, and Dr. Raven Baxter is here to break it all the way down. In this episode, we unravel the tangled intersection of scienc...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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38:09
Episode 10 | The Cost of Paradise: Dahvia Hylton on Climate Injustice & Colonial Greed in Jamaica
Jamaica is more than sun-soaked beaches and reggae rhythms—it’s a frontline battleground where capitalism, colonialism, and climate injustice collide. Educator and climate justice activist Dahvia Hylton unpacks the hard truths about how tourism...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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39:28
Episode 9 | 27-Year-Old Kenyan Designer Wanjiku Is Pioneering Sustainable Fashion for the Visually Impaired—And Advancing A Movement for Disability Inclusion
Wanjiku Angela isn’t just designing clothes—she’s dismantling barriers. As the founder of Hisi Studio, a game-changing Kenyan fashion brand, she’s reimagining what truly inclusive and sustainable design looks like. This conversation isn’t just ...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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27:10
Episode 8 | Generational Legacies in Bloom: Chelsea Murphy on Raising Kids Outdoors and Inspiring Her Parents to Reclaim Nature
In this episode, Chelsea Murphy takes us on a journey through her deep-rooted love for the outdoors and how sustainability shapes her relationship with nature—whether it's in her backyard or deep in the backcountry. She shares heartfelt stories...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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29:54
Episode 7 | Birthing on Our Terms: Sustainability, Home Birth & Black Liberation with Nicole JeanBaptiste
What if birth work and sustainability were two sides of the same powerful coin? In this beautifully bold episode, Nicole JeanBaptiste (co-founder of Sésé, Birthing Freedom) takes us deep into the heart of holistic birth work, co...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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24:37
Episode 6 | From Oakland to West Africa: Akintunde Ahmad Weaves Cultural Preservation, Transparency & Decolonization into Global Fashion Systems
Akintunde Ahmad is not just a designer—he’s a disruptor, a political poet, and a fourth-generation Oakland native with revolution in his DNA. As the founder of Ade Dehye, his work isn’t just about fashion—it’s about radically ethical design.
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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40:21
Episode 5 | Rooted & Relentless: Rue Mapp on Black Joy in Nature with Outdoor Afro
Picture this: You’ve got three young kids in Oakland, you're navigating a divorce, you're back in school—oh, and you're also launching a national movement. Sound impossible? Not for Rue Mapp as the unstoppable force behind OUTDOOR ...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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33:15
Episode 4 | Wild Gina: The World’s Top Selling Black Woman Nature Photographer Unpacks Her Ancestral Connections While Urging A More Intentional Connection To Art and Earth
What happens when the world’s top-selling Black woman nature photographer steps behind the lens? SUBLIMENESS! In this episode, we venture into the breathtaking world of Wild Gina, an intimate landscape photographer whose work isn’t just art—it’...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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31:44
Episode 3 | The Fabric Alchemist: Mahdiyyah’s Mission to Weave Ancestral DNA Technology Into Fashion, Education and Community Care
Experience a beautiful ride into the world of sustainable RE-education with Mahdiyyah—aka the Fabric Alchemist—who’s here to prove that fabric upcycling is more than just a trend; it’s a catalyst for revolutionizing education! In this electric ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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42:57
Episode 2 | Sustainability, Soul & Shaking Up Luxury: Nia Thomas on Fashion with Integrity
In this episode, Nia Thomas enlightens us on shaking up the luxury fashion game—because, let’s be honest, the industry is drowning in poorly made fast fashion nonsense. As the mastermind behind her eponymous brand, Nia shares her journey from s...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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31:56
Episode 1 | Afro, Acrylics and Re-Indigenizing Black Marine Science: Dr. Tiara Moore’s Global Impact Across 34 Countries
DISCLAIMER - this episode features stories connected to self transitioning.EPISODE 1: Get ready for a lively and unapologetically real chat with Dr. Tiara Moore—a powerhouse marine ecologist and the no-nonsense foun...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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31:26