ABOUT US
Why We Exist
Black youth deserve safe, culturally grounded spaces to reconnect with land, build leadership, and shape their futures. BYFC was created to respond to the lack of accessible land-based spaces rooted in African diasporic food and agricultural traditions.
Our Vision
A future where Black youth are rooted in land, equipped with leadership, and supported by thriving, self-determined communities.
Our Approach
Our work is grounded in principles that shape how we steward land, share power, and build community.
African-Centredness
Our farm is rooted in African-centred values, worldviews, histories, and ancestral knowledge. We recognize that African-centredness is dynamic and diverse across Black communities. Through food, land, activism, culture, and spirituality, we honour the richness of African diasporic traditions and their ongoing relevance in shaping collective futures.
Youth–Adult Partnership
We believe leadership is shared. Youth–adult partnerships guide our decision-making, programming, and governance. This means mutual respect, open communication, transparency, and reciprocal mentorship. We intentionally create safer spaces where young people and adults engage in dialogue, reflection, and equitable power-sharing.
Decolonization &
Indigenous Solidarity
We acknowledge that the land we steward sits on the traditional territories of the Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinaabe (Mississaugas of the Credit). As African-descended peoples impacted by colonialism and displacement, we are committed to challenging the ongoing material, cultural, and psychological impacts of colonial systems. We strive to work in solidarity with Indigenous peoples toward shared liberation and responsible stewardship of land.
Dignity & Respect
Respect and dignity are foundational to all relationships within BYFC. We reject respectability politics — the idea that someone’s worth is tied to age, education, class, or conformity to dominant norms. Every participant, volunteer, and community member is valued as they are.
Anti-Oppression
BYFC is committed to being an anti-oppressive space. We work toward the liberation of people impacted by racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ableism, and other intersecting systems of oppression. We recognize that justice requires both awareness and action.
The Land We Steward
Asase Farm is a community-led garden; it is a space for learning, cultural reconnection, food production, and community gathering. Through a partnership with the City of Brampton and TRCA, we steward the land, cultivating culturally relevant crops and creating pathways for youth to reconnect with land-based knowledge systems.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that the land we steward at McVean Farm is located within the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and part of the Treaty 19 lands. We honour the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples who have cared for this land for generations and whose history on this land has been systematically erased.
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We also acknowledge those of African descent whose ancestors were forcibly displaced as part of the transatlantic slave trade, brought against their will, and made to work on these lands.
We believe that advancing Indigenous sovereignty and Black Food Sovereignty are deeply and inextricably linked, and we remain committed to advancing both. (Language adapted from Inspirit Foundation.)
Our Team
This work is stewarded by a collective of educators, organizers, growers, and community leaders committed to Black food sovereignty and youth leadership. This work is collective by nature. The people shown here represent a small part of a community of youth, elders, partners, and supporters who help steward this work.
Gabriel Love
Chair
Dr. Julian Hasford
Co-Executive Director
& Co-Founder
Amauche Atueyi
Program Coordinator
Kelly Obirikorang
Board Member / Farm Manager
Deborah Buchanon-Walford
Project Manager
Bree Murray
Creative Coordinator
Sheldomar Elliott
Board Member
Ashante Lakey
Operational & Admin Coordinator
Sheldon Caruana
Co-Executive Director
& Co-Founder
Tobi O. Balogun
Farm Coordinator
Our Community
Our community includes families, neighbours, volunteers, students, educators and friends who show up with care, time, encouragement, and shared responsibility.
Those Who Stand Beside Us
These partners support our mission to advance Black food sovereignty and youth leadership through sustained investment and collaboration.
