The Challenge of Fitness, From Sedentary to Active

I did my first guest blog post over at Wealth of Health! It was an awesome opportunity and I'm so grateful for the experience of doing a guest post and the chance to share. Check it out:

One of my biggest health challenges is fitness. I’ve been overweight for most of my life and a lot of the activities that I enjoy are sedentary. Growing up I never really felt empowered to take on my own weight loss. There would always be unsolicited advice pecking away at my self-esteem, leaving to feel like I’m not actually the one making the choice. There’s something to be said about not being forced into something and choosing to do something willingly...

Read More: https://wealthandhealthjourney.wordpress.com/2015/06/15/guest-blog-post-with-the-lovely-tanisha-waggoner/

Breaking New Ground at the Black Farmers Community Meeting

In late March I attended the Black Farmers Community Meeting & Video Showing Dr. Claude AndersonOn BLACK Powernomics. The meeting was held at a local church, New Light For New Life Church Of God & was headed by Rev. Dr. Floyd D. Harris, Jr.  Guest speakers included Will Scott, President of African-American Farmers of California, Ken Grimes  an agronomist from the USDA, & Rev. Dr. Floyd D. Harris, Jr.

The meeting started with a viewing of video featuring Dr. Claude Anderson & his work on Powernomics, a book he wrote on empowering African-Americans economically, through ownership & through developing industries.

Will Scott

After the viewing we had the privilege of hearing from Will Scott, who's past TEDxFruitvale talk was phenomenal.  He spoke about the dwindling numbers of Black Farmers in California, & how we are down to less than 500!  He spoke of the need for more African-Americans in farming which is a billion dollar industry.

Will Scott was followed by Ken Grimes of the USDA.  He spoke of his youth on a coffee farm & his experience in agriculture. He spoke of the opportunities available through the USDA to get involved in farming, & also of the programs that are available to teach farming skills.

Rev. Dr. Floyd D. Harris, Jr. spoke about the billions of dollars in agriculture & how African-Americans are partaking of such a tiny portion of it.  He spoke of the grants & opportunities to get into farming & his desire to encourage youth to enter this lucrative industry.  He then told of the 22 acres the church would be breaking ground on soon in collaboration with the African-American Farmers of California, to teach youth agriculture.

The meeting was followed by a lively discussion about the opportunities in farming, the 22 acres to be planted, & the opportunities to sell the produce to the community.  My personal motivation in attending was to see if I could learn of any African-American farmers that might have a Community Supported Agriculture program from which I could purchase produce.  Upon finding out just how few black farmers are left, it was no surprise to me why I had so much trouble in my search. The meeting concluded with free seeds being given out to all who attended & a tractor demonstration.

Tractor Demonstration

As of last Saturday, the Black Farmers community meeting group, with the leadership of Rev. Dr. Floyd D. Harris, Jr. broke ground on the 22 acres & began planting seedlings.  The youth were taught how to plant the seedlings & rode on tractors.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Black Farmers community meeting & am so excited & proud of what the group is accomplishing. I enjoyed this opportunity to learn about farming in my area & in California & look forward to connecting again with this group in the future.

 

Rev. Harris Teaching African American Youth How To Drive A Farm Tractor & Become A Farmer Pt. 1

Rev. Harris Teaching African American Youth How To Drive A Farm Tractor & Become A Farmer Pt. 2

Rev. Harris Teaching African American Youth How To Drive A Farm Tractor & Become A Farmer Pt. 3