We had the good fortune of connecting with Patrick Muhammad and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patrick, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born and raised in East St. Louis, Illinois, known as the city of champions. Growing up in East Boogie, in our mind, it was the perfect environment to develop resolve and wherewithal. We were motivated by the fact that we could not fail individually because our individual failures became “City” failures, and the hope of those after us would quickly diminish. This fueled my and my fellow East St Louis friends. As I ventured into other arenas, carrying motivation from my city on my back, I quickly excelled in education, sports, and, eventually, business. No has never been an option throughout my development only a building block to beat the odds and get to a yes. Now, that same drive as a young child is the force I lean on daily to continue to beat the odds and pull the others out of the bucket of despair.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In 2013 I watched a video entitled, Time and What Must Be Done, Farming is the Engine of Our National Life. In the video, Minister Louis Farrakhan described the importance of land ownership. This became an area of great concern, and no one in my family could point to any land owned or once owned, and thus, there was no hope for generational wealth. At that moment, my family and I decided to break that cycle and went on the quest for land ownership through farming.
Fast forward 11 years later, not only have we acquired land but have inspired 30+ additional families to acquire land, have become farm consultants, and lead a K-8 institution teaching the next generation through sustainable agriculture and environmental awareness. So the brand The Principal Farmer is not cliche, it’s our real-life mission.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Excitement awaits in this visit. Because I am genuinely a modern-day outdoorsman, we would start with a visit of my favorite farm in the city, Your Faith Farms, to show how this little kid from East St Louis owns 31 acres near the busiest airport in the world. We would then eat a snack out the best acai bowl restaurant in the city, GreenFeens Garden of Eating. We will then take a tour of the Serenbe Community to see what unity looks like on a large scale. You can tour ATL and not visit the staples like the King Center and pay respects while touring the AUC Center. For the culture spin, the New Black Wall Street in Stone Mountain and dinner at my favorite, Rumi’s Kitchen. As the week continues, some on my regular stops are YG Urban Cafe and Tassili’s Raw Reality for the vegan options. To burn off some energy, my favorite hikes are Cochran Mill Park in Chattahoochee Hills and some adventure four-wheeling at Clover Ranch in Fayetteville. Finally, a tour of my school, Chattahoochee Hills Charter School and see what the next generation is up to.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents, Robert and Catherine Smoot, as well as my siblings, Deidre Green and Robyn Kaye Smoot, are the direct molders of any success I have achieved. My amazing wife of 26 years, Ishtar Muhammad, and my life force, my children Ishlah, Ishijah, and Ishstafah, are daily catalysts to keep pushing.
One event that absolutely changed the trajectory of my life was the Million Man March 1995. To be able to witness 2 million black men standing together for some 16 hours to commit to becoming better, more responsible, community-oriented, and spiritually mindful black men is a moment in world history that even man who attended knows the impact it had on their individual lives. It truly was a miraculous moment and showed the potential of our collective unity.
Do You, by Russell Simmons, is a book that helped me navigate the difference between self-confidence versus arrogance while at the same time championing my own uniqueness.

Website: https://www.patrickmuhammad.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricktheprincipalfarmer/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-s-muhammad-455a2a28/

Twitter: https://x.com/yourfaithfarms

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.s.muhammad

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yourfaithfarms6088

Image Credits
All photos are property of Patrick Muhammad, black and white image, Fernando Castello

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