Ashanté Lakey (she/her) is a graduate student at the University of Toronto, where she is pursuing a Master of Public Health in Black Health and participating in the Student Training Program in Climate, Health & Sustainable Care. Her academic background in chemistry and nutrition, together with her involvement in humanitarian and local food sovereignty initiatives, has shaped her commitment to advancing health equity, food security, and environmental justice.
She currently contributes to this work through three roles. As Coordinator with the Black Youth Farming Collective, she supports Black food sovereignty within the Greater Toronto Area by helping to strengthen the collective’s urban farm, Afrocentric land-based education, and school workshops for youth through organizational development, education, and program evaluation. At the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre’s Cancer Quality Lab, she is supporting a community-based participatory research project to co-design a patient navigation program for Black patients with breast cancer. Ashanté is also a Research Assistant with the Black Health Alliance, where she supports the evaluation of a Black-focused food security and nutrition intervention, and the dissemination of findings.
Ashanté’s perspective has also been informed by her early work with Chemists Without Borders, where she co-coordinated a climate project focused on biochar. That experience highlighted both the challenges of addressing environmental degradation within capitalist structures and the potential of regenerative agriculture to support sustainable food systems. These lessons continue to guide her research and advocacy.
Outside of work and study, Ashanté enjoys playing the piano, spending time in nature, cooking and sharing plant-based meals, practicing yoga, and connecting with family and community.