Hello … let me introduce myself again…
I’m Dominique Drakeford, chief curator of the blog MelaninASS and co-founder of Sustainable Brooklyn. With the 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 elevate the voices and work of POC (especially Black women) in the sustainability space.
I’m carving out this small space to share the things I love — traveling, youth development — alongside the things that challenge me, like entrepreneurship and healing, plus whatever random thoughts I want to put into words.
Each year I try to take one or two personal trips to re-center. Last year I hopped a Mega Bus to Philly and it was so dope. This year, I decided 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 be grounded in nature — is essential to my spirit. As much as I love New York, there are times 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
Not comparing myself to others isn’t always easy
So I make time to show up for myself, by myself … and it’s truly one of the most beautiful choices I’ve made in my early career.
… Showing up for myself
So this time, as a nature-loving woman, I was seeking exclusion! I wanted time to connect with nature, to stay in a beautiful cozy cabin by myself and honestly get some much-needed writing done. Mount Kisco was perfect — just an hour and a half from Brooklyn by train!
