She has communicated plain, practical, and pedagogic direction to hundreds of young riders. Her forte is originating light and fun horseback riding experiences. From training basics to competitive lifestyles, Carmen Mesbergen, 33, teaches both horse and rider the rudiments of modern horsemanship. Originally from Loveland, Colorado, the seasoned equestrian developed an affinity for classical dressage […]

The future naturalist framed up the plant IDing scene with such fervor. Conviction. Even care. Every google-eyed expression and conductor hand gesture queued up plant life. As if it was taking center stage. His soft smile pulled community participants into the Lionel Hampton Greenway Trail. The old-growth storyline voice-overed by Southern hospitality. “So, this is actually turkey tail mushrooms,” said Outdoor […]

Just catching up to my outdoor and agriculture adventures? Well, welcome. The quick and Deep South dirty: I’m hot and heavy into my third year as communications director of national not-for-profit Outdoor Afro. I’m stationed in rural Georgia, traveling across the country to capture the organization’s community impact. Converting homebodies into sanctified nature lovers using […]

Whoa Nelly! I won. Twice. Back-to-back first-place awards during Outdoor Writers Association of America’s (OWAA) annual conference. My very first time applying for awards as a member of this association landed me in Gulf Shores, Alabama, Sept. 9, through Sept. 11, 2023. As a veteran award-winning journalist and marketer, I’ve been in these types of rodeos […]

Dine Diaspora, a Washington, D.C.-based food and beverage agency, announced its sixth annual “Black Women in Food” awardees March 1, 2023. And I made it into this number. Out of more than 600 nominees, the agency included me as one of 31 honorees. Dine Diaspora selects honorees from a public nomination process reviewed by expert judges. The awards celebrate exceptional contributions to the food system and Black women around the world who contribute to this historical establishment.

This one farmstead structure stands frail. Debilitated by Mother Nature’s handiwork. Evident from its hind side. Barnwood craftsmanship currently exposed and splintered. Where livestock, hay bales and farming equipment once depended on the handmade frame for shelter in the early 20th century.

She ushers God into any conversation. In front of anybody. For any reason. Her 5-foot-9-inch existence lives for Him. She testifies His greatness in good and bad times. In a bereavement season, she amplifies His grace. Cleaving His name to her chest. Evident by the way she naturally consoles those who have lost all hope.

Each hails from the Black Belt Region — demarcated by its crescent geographic profile. Stretching from Eastern Texas to the Eastern shore of Virginia. A territory historically known for the “lack of” is called home. Systemic disparities have prevailed since slavery. The Old Confederacy days. In education. Health care. Technology. Infrastructure. Black land ownership. And economic development opportunities.

Enslaved African-American people assigned them as “hush harbors.” Informal meeting spaces. Swamps, ravines, gullies and woodlands to congregate and worship secretly in the South. These unofficial locations eventually operated as planning posts for Black farmers of the Reconstruction period onward. Since sharecropping merely replaced slavery, Black churches, crib barns and bermudagrass fields became updated versions of hush harbors. Grounds to organize. Discuss land independence. Strategize to preserve family legacy.

She sashays into the dirt-filled arena. Flanked by young, black cowboys Devinn Jordan, 26, and Mazi Willis, 24, atop stately steeds, veteran rapper and singer Khia Thug Misses hikes up the front of her black, ruffled Western dress. She gives a little leg. Props a hand on her hip.