Bio:

MYSTERY FURTADO, BScN, is the founder and CEO of Type Diabeat It, a Black-led health charity based in London, Ontario, supporting racialized and low-income communities impacted by type 2 diabetes. Inspired by gaps she witnessed as a clinical educator, Mystery launched Type Diabeat It to advance culturally grounded diabetes prevention through Afrocentric food literacy, urban agriculture, and community food access. The organization delivers classroom-based programming, grows ethnic produce, and supports families through food sovereignty approaches rooted in culture and equity. Mystery is a recognized community leader and recipient of London’s “20’s in Her 20’s” award.

LAURA HAMMOND is the founder of Let’s Bee Connected Foundation, a grassroots, Black‑led initiative that uses bees, gardens, and food to build community power and joy in schools and neighbourhoods. Her work centres Black Food Sovereignty by creating learning spaces where children an youth see and learn about black cultures, ingredients, and food stories reflected and respected in the school food environment. She collaborates with educators, families, and local Black growers to bring culturally rooted, pollinator‑friendly foods into classrooms and schoolyards, connecting honey, herbs, fruits, and traditional dishes to history, land, and identity. Through this work, she helps schools move from charity-based models to community-led, justice-focused food systems.