Cherron Perry-Thomas, founder of the Black Cannabis Week conference and co-founder of the Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities, will give a free talk titled “Cannabis or Pain: Moving Past Stigma to Achieve Wellness” at Hansberry Garden & Nature Center on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 4 p.m. In case of inclement weather, Cherron will speak at the Weavers Way Germantown Outreach Office at 326 W. Chelten Ave.

A longtime member of and important contributor to Hansberry Garden, Cherron is deeply committed to plant-based wellness and environmental sustainability. These commitments inspire her advocacy for cannabis and hemp (as well as her work at Plant and People, a plant and wellness store in West Philadelphia that she co-owns with her daughter). She has worked with legislators at the city, state, and federal levels to encourage policy changes that promote social justice and equity for users and producers of cannabis — particularly for people of color who have borne the heaviest burden of the war on drugs.

In 2018, Cherron founded Black Cannabis Week, an annual event that takes place in Philadelphia and online. “The stigma associated with cannabis has impacted Black communities directly and indirectly,” says Cherron. The weeklong series of events aims to “bring attention to Black individuals’ often overlooked and undervalued contributions to the cannabis industry.” It also offers education about opportunities in the industry.

Opportunities in the cannabis industry are the focus of Pot Profits for Pennsylvanians (P3), another group co-founded by Cherron. She also leads the Plant Medicine Coaliltion for All Together Now PA, an organization that organizes coalitions of farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors to strengthen just, sustainable, and locally owned regional supply chains.

For more about Cherron, see profiles in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Metro Philadelphia, and BlackEnterprise.com.