In this episode, I speak with Organic Master Gardener, social change leader, aspiring rural farmer, a cook, a nurturer, an educator and advocate, Angel Beyde.  We talk about the struggles and incredible resilience of Black farmers, the importance of land ownership for farming with equity, intergenerational trauma experienced by the BIPOC community, and non-racialized folks taking responsibility to work for racial justice.

We talk about how our stories from our childhood are a blueprint that shapes many of the passions and visions we have for ourselves in our adult years. We connect on her story that led Angel to become a Black-Mixed race farmer in her forties and the challenges that she is facing in trying to purchase land.

We talk about the importance of compassion in Calling In vs Calling Out, of social change through bridge-building, and the courage to overcome and heal from white fragility. We share about the need for willingness to go through discomfort as we’re addressing and uprooting racism that is so embedded in our culture that it's most of the time, invisible. I continue to reflect on Angel's quote,

"If your biggest fear is to be uncomfortable, but my biggest fear is to be killed by the police, then maybe it's worth it to be uncomfortable to learn how to change society.”

Overall, in the end, this is a conversation about what it takes to keep staying the course when all external forces are saying 'no'. It's about the importance of nurturing connection with an open heart. To see the possibility in the impossible. It's about how to stay creative and resilient in the face of adversity.

If you're interested in learning more about coaching 1:1 with Ami send me a hello - ami@amidehne.com.

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I want to invite you to help contribute to this podcast by submitting a suggestion for a Disruptor your know who would be a great guest on the Disruptions With Purpose podcast.  All you have to do is go here and submit a suggestion (https://forms.gle/vonkDn8bCmeK2zRL6)

Resources:

• Farming While Black by Leah Penninham - Farming While Black is the first comprehensive “how-to” guide for aspiring African-heritage growers to reclaim their dignity as agriculturists and for all farmers to understand the distinct, technical contributions of African-heritage people to sustainable agriculture
• Do Better - Do Better is a revolutionary offering that addresses anti-racism from a comprehensive, intersectional and spiritually aligned perspective.
• EFAO - The Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) supports farmers to build resilient ecological farms and grow a strong knowledge-sharing community.
• We Are Each Other's Harvest - In this impressive anthology, Natalie Baszile brings together essays, poems, photographs, quotes, conversations, and first-person stories to examine black people’s connection to the American land from Emancipation to today.

About Angel:

Angel Beyde is a Black/mixed-race grower of food and flowers. An Organic Master Gardener, educator and facilitator, Angel has worked in Urban Ag, eco-landscaping and non-profits for many years. She is passionate about regenerative growing practices as key to food sovereignty and community abundance. Angel and her husband Raph are currently looking for rural O