In episode 53 of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with energy justice attorney, activist and self-proclaimed "Climate Auntie" Raya Salter for an unfiltered conversation about what it truly means to fight for environmental justice in an era defined by corporate power and political upheaval. From exposing the fossil fuel industry's decades-long misinformation campaigns to reimagining what accountability, reparations and climate justice can look like, Raya offers an expansive framework for understanding how law, policy and grassroots organizing intersect to create transformational change.

Throughout the conversation, Dominique and Raya explore the importance of intergenerational leadership, why Black communities have always been environmental solutionists, and the urgent need to center public health, storytelling and cultural organizing within the climate movement. Raya reflects on founding the Energy Justice Law & Policy Center, building youth leadership, navigating philanthropy without compromising values. They also dig in why today's movements require new laws and more importantly new leadership to reimagine futures.

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows

In this profound and deeply reflective episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with acclaimed author, essayist and climate writer Mary Annaïse Heglar for a conversation about what it means to bear witness in a world shaped by ecological crisis. Drawing from her upbringing in Alabama and Mississippi, Mary reflects on the Black Southern traditions, elders and landscapes that first taught her environmental stewardship happening before sustainability became a mainstream movement. Together, they explore how storytelling, memory and lived experience become powerful tools for challenging dominant environmental narratives.

Throughout the conversation, Dominique and Mary unpack the complicated relationship between mainstream environmentalism and Black communities, the emotional realities of writing through climate collapse … buy also, why honesty remains the highest calling of any artist. From discussing her acclaimed novel Troubled Waters and children's book The World Is Ours to Cherish to exploring caregiving, gardening, generational healing and the importance of reclaiming Southern environmental histories. Mary offers a timely reminder that the future will be shaped by the stories we choose to tell, whose voices we amplify and our willingness to return to the wisdom that has always lived within our communities.

https://www.maryannaiseheglar.com/

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows

In this deeply personal episode of Compost, Cotton & Cornrows, Dominique sits down with creative director, stylist, vintage curator and image consultant Talia Bella for a conversation that expands what sustainable fashion can truly mean. Together, they move beyond conversations about fabrics and production practices to explore style as survival and self-expression. Drawing from her upbringing between Washington, D.C. and New York, Talia reflects on how family, vintage clothing, community and lived experience shaped her understanding of fashion. Through stories of healing and finding beauty in unexpected places, she reminds us that our communities have always practiced sustainability, we just called it living.

Throughout the conversation, Dominique and Talia unpack the invisible labor behind fashion, the importance of supporting emerging designers, the nuance of mixing high and low fashion and why sustainability should never be mistaken for scarcity. They also offer an honest look at navigating the fashion industry as Black women, protecting creative integrity, responding thoughtfully rather than reactively and building careers rooted in collaboration instead of competition. Rich with humor, vulnerability and hard-earned wisdom, this episode is a powerful reminder that the clothes we wear unearth how we've learned to sustain ourselves across generations.

Compost, Cotton & Cornrows: the space where Black & Afro-Indigenous Vanguards are redefining sustainability through storytelling!

@Compost_Cotton_Cornrows