Welcome to Compost, Cotton & Cornrows - the newsletter!

Hey! I’m DOMINIQUE DRAKEFORD. I work between New Jersey and New York but was born and bred in Oakland, California — where my roots run deep between the free breakfast legacy of the Black Panther Party, the electric thump of the Hyphy Movement but living and Missy Elliott videos that taught me sustainable style was always a cultural birthright.

Welcome to Compost, Cotton & Cornrows — the newsletter.

It’s the personal extension of my podcast of the same name (Compost, Cotton & Cornrows), where I interview Black and Afro-Indigenous vanguards who are radically redefining sustainability across fashion, food, farming, wellness and beyond. But here, I take you deeper into my world, a behind-the-scenes altar of voice notes, mom moments, climate dreams, creative tangents, and compostable confessions. This newsletter is where I hold space as both host and bridge, weaving in reflections and revelations from the podcast to build an interconnected ecosystem … a living, breathing paradigm shift rooted in cultural integrity, ancestral wisdom, and Black liberation.

Yes, I’m a public speaker, non traditional sustainability educator and researcher 10+ years of experience in ethical creative brand development, environmental justice advocacy and stewardship storytelling. I have a BA in Business Environmental Management and a MA from NYU in Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Fashion. My work has disrupted the greenwashed gaze, reshaped how we talk about eco-fashion, and seeded a cultural shift that honors the legacy and leadership of Black and Afro-Indigenous communities. I’ve been featured in 30+ global outlets like Essence, Vogue, Vanity Fair and The New York Times, but my proudest moments are grounded in community, whether I’m teaching climate justice to high school students, co-creating with farmers or building bridges between ancestral practice and modern resistance.

THIS space is where my voice gets to stretch and offer up my tangents, my cultural critiques, and my playlist of liberation. You might find a breakdown of environmental racism next to a dancing motherhood moment, a memory from my Oakland girlhood or a spotlight on Black women revolutionizing the textile industry followed by a rap I wrote while breastfeeding. Some days it’s giving ancestral archive, some days it’s giving “don’t forget to drink water and wear your shea butter”, but every week(ish), it’s rooted in Black love and how to live sustainably out loud.

Because this isn’t just a newsletter. It’s a re-imagining of sustainability.

Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.

PS: Never miss an update—every newsletter is sent directly to your email inbox or on the Substack app. I am most active on Instagram, say hello

Why support & upgrade to paid the Compost, Cotton & Cornrows Community?

All my posts and podcast episodes are free, because access matters. But paid subscribers? Y’all get the juicy extras.

REAL TALK: Compost, Cotton & Cornrows is a labor of love — and labor has value. Producing these episodes, writing these essays, and creating a living archive of Black sustainability takes time, energy, and money. I’m a mother of two small babies, building new worlds while navigating real-life bills. Paid subscriptions help support my family, pay my production team (me LOL) and collaborators with care — and help me show up for this work with more clarity and consistency.

If you’ve learned something, felt seen, or simply want to be part of building this regenerative vision — consider going paid. And if that’s not possible right now, sharing this newsletter with someone who gets it means the world.

PAID SUBSCRIBER PERKS:

• Mama Dom’s Root Rituals
  Monthly grounding prompts, ancestral practices, and spiritual musings to help you re-center, reclaim, and realign — whether you're mothering a child, a movement, or yourself.

• Sonic Soil Playlists
  Vibe out with curated playlists that move through grief, joy, resistance, and rebirth. Think: Afro-diasporic sounds, revolutionary lullabies, and radical dance breaks.

• Notes on Newbie Podcasting
  Unfiltered voice memos, unused audio gems, and reflective notes on interviews and production.

• Monthly Book or Film Drop
  A cultural critique pick — from a sustainability must-read to a film that reimagines Black futures — with a short commentary or journaling question.

• Love Notes from the Land
  Tiny field notes from Dom’s world — a photo of the babies planting seeds, a funny mama moment, or a short story from the soil. Because joy is resistance.

FOUNDER SUBSCRIBER PERK:

Everything in the paid subscriber perks plus, a 30-minute 1:1 virtual consultation with me. Bring your questions around sustainability, movement building, launching a climate-centered creative practice, home birthing, gardening, starting a soulful business, or anything in between. Let’s root, reflect, and grow together.