Hello … let me take a moment to reintroduce myself…
I'm Dominique Drakeford. I serve as chief curator of a blog called MelaninASS and I co-founded Sustainable Brooklyn. With the official titles out of the way — I'm a Black woman from Oakland now living in Brooklyn, working every day to demystify ecological stewardship, dismantle systems of oppression and spotlight the voices and work of POC (especially Black women) in the sustainability space.
I'm carving out this little corner to share the things I love — traveling, youth development — alongside the things that stretch me, like entrepreneurship and healing, plus whatever random thoughts I feel like putting into words.
Each year I aim to take one or two personal trips to re-center myself. Last year I hopped on a Mega Bus to Philly and it was so dope. This year, I chose to head upstate to Mount Kisco.
The older I get and the deeper I invest in my work, the more I value intentional solitude. Reconnecting with my inner-community — for healing, writing, self-exploration or simply to feel grounded in nature — is essential to my spirit. As much as I love New York, there are moments when I feel like I'm suffocating and need room to breathe on my own.
Creative and social entrepreneurship isn't easy, and relationships — family, friendship, business or intimate — aren't always easy either
Navigating space in my Blackness isn't always easy
Staying present on social media isn't always easy
Standing up for what you believe in isn't always easy
Healing isn't always easy
Resisting the urge to compare myself to others isn't always easy
So I make time to show up for myself, by myself … and honestly, it's one of the most beautiful commitments I've made in my early career.
… Showing up for myself
So this time around, as a nature-loving woman, I was craving seclusion. I wanted time to connect with nature, to stay in a beautiful cozy cabin on my own and, honestly, to get some much-needed writing done. Mount Kisco was perfect — just an hour and a half from Brooklyn by train!
