Edible Activist

Melissa L. Jones
  • 4.9 (104)
  • FOOD
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Edible Activist is a podcast that feeds you empowering narratives and perspectives from the voices of emerging black people and people of color in food and agriculture who are stewarding the land, healing communities, and advocating for food justice and economic power across the globe. Hosted by Melissa L. Jones, she interviews a diverse group of everyday growers, farmers, entrepreneurs, artists, and other extraordinary individuals, who exemplify activism in their own edible way!

  1. 11/24/2025

    #187: Designing a Just Food Future with Dr. Celeste Davis

    Host Melissa L. Jones sits down with Dr. Celeste Davis—public health educator, design strategist, and director of the Public Health Scholars Program at American University—for a thoughtful conversation on how food justice, public health, and community power shape one another in today’s shifting landscape. Through her path as a bridge-builder, Dr. Celeste shares why food justice is rooted in dignity, culture, policy, labor, land, and the structures that determine who gets to thrive. She reflects on the possibilities and limits of policy, the importance of local action, and how design thinking and empathy can create systems that feel liberatory rather than transactional. Grounded in her work with emerging public health leaders, she offers a hopeful vision for collectively designing a more just and community-centered future.

    46 min

  2. 11/12/2025

    #186: From Lineage to Land: Umi’s Journey of Ancestral Farming

    Returning-generation farmer and community herbalist Bianca “Umi” Anthony shares how she’s reclaiming seven acres of her family’s 1950s land in rural Bertie County, NC—reviving legacy, building Seed of Life Farm, and raising her three kids “no screens” while they learn to grow. We talk medicinal herbs and cut flowers, creating a healing space for community retreats, the realities of solo stewardship and mentorship, and why a deer fence and basic infrastructure matter for the first growing season. Umi invites listeners into a vision of generational healing rooted in the soil.

    38 min

  3. 11/06/2025

    #185: Nurturing Our Seeds: Detroit Roots, Community Power

    Erin Cole, founder of Nurturing Our Seeds in Detroit, shares how a porch-side safety moment on Helen Street—mowing vacant lots for elders—grew from a first flower patch into mustard and turnip greens, and ultimately a neighborhood farm and seed-saving hub. We dig into living soil, herb-based compost teas, seed starting as food sovereignty as they supply transplants to 14 Black farms and save okra seed with the Ujamaa Seed Cooperative, and adapting to climate chaos with part-shade cucumbers. We also talk land access and how the Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund strengthens community control—plus Erin’s quest to breed a hot pink okra.

    46 min

  4. 10/13/2025

    #184: SWAP: Fashioning Environmental Justice with Zsameria Rayford

    From living-room swaps to a decade of citywide pop-ups, Zsameria Rayford’s SWAP DC → SWAP Universe shows how style and sustainability move together. This episode digs into the operational backbone, the ethos, and the outcomes—thousands of pounds of textiles kept out of landfills while neighbors trade clothing, plants, books, and ideas. We connect circular fashion to health and land stewardship and outline replicable models for your own community swap. A clear, on-the-ground example of the community-rooted change celebrated on Edible Activist.

    44 min

  5. 09/29/2025

    #183: SiStained8: From Kitchen Scraps to Living Soil

    Najwa Womack, founder of SiStained8 in Washington, D.C., traces her path from early nature moments to teaching compost as the art of growing soil. She defines composting in plain language, explains essentials like source-separated organics and feedstock, and tackles common myths about smell and time. Najwa connects kitchen scraps to city-scale solutions—cutting landfill methane, strengthening local soil and food, and reducing flood risk. She shares simple ways to begin at home, in schools, and with community drop-offs, outlines a vision for more three-bin and tumbler sites, and reflects on her work as a U.S. Composting Council Advocate of Compost, where national policy meets neighborhood impact.

    47 min

  6. 09/11/2025

    #182: Black Cotton and the Power of Legacy with Julius Tillery

    Cotton has long been a cornerstone of American agriculture and culture. Julius Tillery, a fifth-generation cotton farmer and founder of Black Cotton, is reshaping how we see this iconic crop by turning it into a source of artistry, heritage, and opportunity. In this conversation with host Melissa L. Jones, Julius shares his journey of embracing his family’s legacy, raising awareness about the decline of Black cotton farmers, and inspiring future generations through culture, innovation, and a deep connection to the land.

    45 min

  7. 09/02/2025

    #181: Roots, Recipes & Storytelling with Antoinette Johnson

    Chef, storyteller, and advocate Antoinette Johnson takes us back to her Black Southern roots, where family traditions and community gatherings first sparked her love for food. She shares how those early influences—and moving across different states—shaped her culinary voice and storytelling lens, leading to her big win on America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation. This is a conversation about honoring heritage, amplifying Black foodways, and carrying legacy forward—tune in for a story that will leave you inspired and hungry for more.

    53 min

  8. 08/22/2025

    #180: From the Kitchen to the Soil with Chef Marly

    After a traumatic brain injury in 2014, Chef Marly — a classically trained chef and Washington native — found healing in an unexpected place: the soil. In this episode, she shares her journey from the kitchen to farming, how growing food supported her recovery, and what’s been keeping her hands in the dirt this season.

    50 min
See All (188)

4.9
out of 5
104 Ratings

About

Edible Activist is a podcast that feeds you empowering narratives and perspectives from the voices of emerging black people and people of color in food and agriculture who are stewarding the land, healing communities, and advocating for food justice and economic power across the globe. Hosted by Melissa L. Jones, she interviews a diverse group of everyday growers, farmers, entrepreneurs, artists, and other extraordinary individuals, who exemplify activism in their own edible way!

Information

  • Creator
    Melissa L. Jones
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    188
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Edible Activist

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