HABESHA Inc. was formed in 2002 under the leadership of the organization’s Executive Director, Cashawn Myers. Mr. Myers is a father, husband, international organizer, farmer, and teacher who received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Florida A&M University, and a Masters of Education, with special interest in curriculum development, from Howard University. Born in a small rural town in Southeast Georgia called Woodbine, Cashawn Myers has taken his life experiences to make a positive impact on the world. In 2003, Mr. Myers led the development of the the HABESHA Gardens Complex (HGC), a one-acre facility that serves the metro Atlanta area through providing education and training in urban organic agriculture, sustainable energy technology, and green living. HGC also host several events including festivals, concerts, movie nights, and other cultural programs throughout the year.

Mr. Myers has been instrumental in establishing training programs in Atlanta for K-12 youth (Sustainable Seeds-2004), and young adults (HABESHA Works-2011, Urban Green Jobs-2017), and seniors (Golden Growers-2013), around sustainable urban agriculture and healthy living. To fulfill the vision of connecting youth of African ancestry with their cultural heritage, HABESHA created Black To Our Roots (2004), a youth leadership and rites of passage program that promotes African cultural values through critical research, community service, and fundraising. BTOR culminates in travel-study to Ethiopia and Ghana, providing youth with the tools to become active participants in the unity and development of their local and global African communities.

CORE VALUES
PAN-AFRICAN
HABESHA, Inc. is committed to promoting principles and values that emphasize African culture and heritage. Through our work we seek to offer African-American children insight into African history and cultural practices from across the Diaspora. In this way, we are engaging youth in developing positive self-image and awareness.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
HABESHA also promotes leadership so that young people are prepared to enter the world as responsible citizens. This occurs by offering young people opportunities to participate in civic engagement projects that encourage them to become stewards of their communities and participate in the betterment of their environment. The organization’s leadership model includes activities that emphasize economic success, entrepreneurship and academic excellence.

SUSTAINABILITY
Though our programming we seek to shape young people’s perspectives on environmental sustainability by promoting practices and principles centered on the concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Additionally, our work has introduced youth to sustainable technologies and also includes the idea of asustainable lifestyle, which take into consideration the importance of personal health.