What can black bean burgers teach us about healthy masculinity? Meet Maȟpíya Black Elk, Co-Chair of the Board for Together for Brothers, a community organization led by and for young men of color. Throughout his life, Maȟpíya has committed to challenging unhealthy and limiting ideas of masculinity, and working for justice and equity, something he traces back to growing up in his grandmother’s garden and learning to tend to the living things there.

“She instilled this early awareness of plants being alive,” Maȟpíya describes in his Nutritional Values booklet.

“I was learning to just be more mindful and observant of plants, and see them as relatives and living beings…My understanding of the coexistence with plant life, and learning to be nurturing with each other, shapes how I think and engage with my work with T4B.”

Throughout his life, Maȟpíya was forced to contend with power imbalances that were out of his control, from the realities of oppression in the school cafeteria as a student, to expectations that he would pull himself up by his own bootstraps to go to college and be successful. Perhaps this is why he’s so dedicated to challenging the root causes of poverty, celebrating healthy masculinities, and generating a new grassroots approach to wellbeing.

To learn more about Maȟpíya and how he’s breaking down misconceptions, supporting his community, and redefining masculinity one black bean burger at a time, visit www.togetherforbrothers.org and check out their Nutritional Values conversation guide.