Here at Yellow Emperor, we believe Black Lives Matter.
In honor of Juneteenth, we have donated $1,000 to the United Negro College Fund. Moreover, we will be celebrating this holiday by purchasing lunch for all staff from Noisette Pastry Kitchen, a black-owned restaurant in Eugene. Ultimately, these are only the first steps we are taking to do our part and uplift Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) folks in our community.
Due to slavery and institutionalized racism, much of the rich history of BIPOC herbalists in the United States passed on through family traditions. Thankfully, many BIPOC herbalists today continue to pass on their knowledge and work in their communities. Here is a sample of the many black herbalists that are doing great work today:
- Karen Rose, a Master Herbalist from Guyana, based in New York, founder of Sacred Vibes Apothecary.
- TBone McGowian, a second-generation herbalist based in California, founder of The Daily Herbalist.
- Amanda David, a teacher of herbalism at Rootwork Herbals, based in New York, who also has started numerous community projects including the People’s Medicine Project, which focuses on BIPOC herbal education.
- Kifu Faruq, a 3rd generation community herbalist, founder of Medicine Bowl, based in North Carolina.
As it is Pride month, we also wanted to share a list of herbalists that are both BIPOC and members of the LGBTIA community created by Toi Scott, a writer and herbalist.
