Today on Mushroom Hour we are blessed by the presence of Reggie, activist, mycologist and founder of Oakland Hyphae. Reggie studied political science at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and now has over a decade of political campaign experience ranging from local and state-level races to 3 Presidential races to working with the New York State Democrats, the DCCC, and the DNC. On the West Coast Reggie worked on a local level to replace police in schools with guidance counselors for the Black Organizing Project in Oakland. Inspired by early-life transformative experiences with psilocybin-containing mushrooms, Reggie has had a lifelong passion for mycology and now consults with the largest mushroom cultivators in the world. He has worked with the largest cultivators in The Netherlands and is currently advising in the establishment of the largest commercial mushroom farm and state of the art testing lab in Jamaica. He also has over 10 years of domestic experience in the US cannabis industry. Reggie is a member of the Advisory Board for Decriminalize Nature and an avid activist for police reform and an ally of The Movement for Black Lives. TOPICS COVERED:  Reggie’s Introduction to Psilocybin & Travels to Europe  Activist Work for Political Change & Racial Equality  Psilocybin Mushrooms as an Ancient Spiritual Technology  Formation of Oakland Hyphae  The First “Psilocybin Cup” April 2021  Combining Passions for Mushroom Cultivation & Plant Medicine BIPOC Activism   Process of Testing Compounds in Psilocybin Mushrooms  Importance of BIPOC Leadership in Psychedelic Spaces  Future of Oakland Hyphae  Next Psilocybin Cup & Oakland Psychedelic Conference 9/20/21  Lessons Learned from the Cannabis Industry  Oakland as a Leader in Equity in Plant Medicine  Colonization of Psychedelics in Jamaica  Influence of Big Money on Emerging Psilocybin Mushroom Marketplace  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Oakland Hyphae IG: https://www.instagram.com/oakland_hyphae/  Oakland Hyphae Website: https://www.oaklandhyphae510.com/  Spring 2021 Psilocybin Cup: https://oakland-hyphae.teachable.com/p/oakland-hyphae-psilocybin-cup-spring-21  The Ancestor Project: https://www.instagram.com/theancestorproject/   Negus in Nature: https://www.instagram.com/negusinnature/  Twisted Tree Nursery: https://www.instagram.com/twisted_tree_nursery/  Pacific Substrates: https://www.instagram.com/pacificsubstrates/  Diaspora Psychedelic Society: https://www.instagram.com/diasporapsychedelicsociety/  Kilindi Iyi: http://babakilindi.com/  Darron le Barron: https://www.instagram.com/darren_le_baron/  Decriminalize Nature: https://www.instagram.com/decriminalizenature/  SF Psychedelic Society: https://www.instagram.com/psychedelicsocietysf/