About me:

I’m Colah B Tawkin and I am from Jacksonville FL, currently residing in Powder Springs, GA. I am a single mother who had to tap into my entrepreneurial creativity to sustain my family after an untimely divorce and through the pandemic. My community describes me as honest, inspiring and warm. I'm a self taught gardener of 6 years and a lifelong sustainability advocate who inspires Black people to reconnect with nature via plants. One of my proudest accomplishments is building a community around stories about Black plant enthusiasts via the culture based podcast I created.

Since fall 2019 I've won the hearts of listeners around the world by showing up authentically as the creator and host of Black in the Garden podcast. It started as a passion project to highlight the experience of Black plant enthusiasts and professionals. Black in the Garden was also a constructive outlet that gave me something to look forward to after being abandoned by my spouse the month before launching. After season 1, it turned into a more serious entrepreneurial endeavor in response to having to stay home with my young children as their sole provider when schools closed.

My Challenges:

2020 presented some significant challenges that caused housing instability for myself and 2 young children. The vulnerable state of transitioning into single motherhood with limited resources and diminished credit made it nearly impossible to find suitable housing during the pandemic. This made us subject to some predatory people who offered 'help' that ended up costing severe financial and emotional strain. Between November 2020 and March 2021 I moved twice before the third move into a rental with a 1 year lease in remote Powder Springs 20 miles outside of Atlanta.

Funding car repair after an encounter with a dishonest mechanic caused me to lose most of my savings put aside for emergencies. Unfortunately, the mechanic that I was referred to was one that preys on the vulnerability of single women. My car is still financed and keeping up with payments is helping rebuild the credit I need, however, the insurance must still be maintained as well. All travel requires Uber which amounts to more than twice as much as car payments.

How donations will help:

Having stable transportation is critical since I'm far beyond the reach of public transportation. I need to drive to the grocery store, post office, doctors, local parks etc. for my family’s basic needs. Outside of creative work done virtually, much of travel has been to volunteer with Black led organizations that serve the community. Saturdays we volunteer by distributing food and helping build a garden in Ashview Heights. Sundays my kids and I volunteer with Black Too Earth assisting Black farmers in and around Atlanta with their labor needs. I prioritize volunteerism to help my children build character and concern for the community. Mobility is a necessity that allows me to maximize my income potential by providing horticultural consulting to Atlanta area residents and businesses.

Ask: We are asking for $5,000 for car repairs, towing and to rebound from expenses accrued due to the Uber spends over the last few months. We would never ask unless this wasn’t a critical and dire need to stem the wave of further bills from accruing and put my family in a position to build our small business. The specific issues that my Nissan Pathfinder is having is the transmission valve body and battery. We are also asking for any reliable car repair mechanics in Atlanta and the surrounding areas.

Thank you for your consideration in assisting with my family’s needs.