BlueDream Radio podcast focuses on equity, activism

Talk about a family affair. When Freedom Love hits the road to record another episode of the BlueDream Radio podcast, he is always accompanied by his wife Eli G. and infant Seven. His family sits at the heart of Freedom’s mission: to ensure that social and racial equity is a central tenant of the cannabis industry. Love’s favorite question to ask speakers at cannabis events is “How are you helping to include people of color who were harmed by the war on drugs into this industry?” This question is also the central theme of his BlueDream Radio: The People’s Cannabis Podcast. He is originally from the Dominican Republic. He and his family moved to West Harlem when he was 12 years old. A talented athlete from a family that believed cannabis is harmful, Love kept his distance from the plant. As he grew older, however, he witnessed peers being arrested and sometimes incarcerated for simple possession. Freedom took this threat seriously and stayed away. Until he tried cannabis in college. Like many, that experience revealed that cannabis was actually pleasant, relaxing and mind-opening. Filled with curiosity, Love started researching the plant. Among the many misconceptions and benefits, he found an even bigger issue: cannabis was being used as a cudgel against people of color to fill jail cells. This incensed him and started him on a path of cannabis activism. Fortunately, activism was also deep-rooted in his family. He witnessed his mother’s activism first-hand as a union organizer for workers and a founder of Justice for Janitors in Stamford, Conn., where she focused on issues such as safe working conditions, fair pay, health benefits, and educational opportunities. Love realized quickly that good, reliable information was vital. This information was difficult to find and difficult to communicate. He wanted to be able to take his message to the masses. Enter podcasting. He began looking for a cannabis podcast whose focus was social and racial justice. While he found a few that offered one or two episodes on justice, there was no single podcast that offered suggestions on how to help people of color to get involved in the cannabis industry. The BlueDream Radio podcast was born. This weekly podcast examines the cannabis industry from the “lens of the people” offering real ways that listeners can be active in the community and the industry. He always connects the topics and the guests to social and racial justice and makes sure to ask his favorite question: “How are you helping to include people of color who were harmed by the war on drugs into this industry?” BlueDream Radio boasts a wide variety of guests and topics (including yours truly discussing the role of social justice in cannabis education). It can be found Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes and many more podcast outlets. Visit bluedreamradio.com for social media and other updates.