Register 115 Seats Remaining
Uncover the hidden impact of sugarcane burning in Florida with Bittersweet Muck. Join us for a screening and panel discussion with experts. Register now and be part of the conversation for change!
Step into the heart of Florida's sugar country with Bittersweet Muck, an eye-opening NBC 6 documentary that dives into the controversial practice of sugarcane burning and its impact on air quality, health, and the environment. Discover the untold stories of the resilient people living in Belle Glade, the unique "muck" soil that powers an industry, and the fight for cleaner, greener alternatives.
Join us at West Regional Library for a special screening followed by a dynamic panel discussion featuring Emmy-winning journalist Sasha Jones, environmental justice leader Patrick Ferguson, and award-winning filmmaker and advocate Yanatha Desouvre. Hear their unique insights, ask your burning questions, and be part of the conversation shaping the future of Florida's agricultural practices.
Seats are limited—register now to secure your spot and be inspired! Share this event with your friends on social media and join the movement for change.
Panelist: Sasha Jones
Sasha Jones is an experienced content creator and journalist with more than 15+ years of experience in storytelling, broadcast television, and business-related news. She is from Southfield, Michigan and attended Western Michigan University where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and graduated with a degree in Film, Video, and Media Studies.
As a young journalist, she worked at local news stations in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee. While working in Memphis, TN she focused her storytelling on issues related to poverty, social justice, and crime. While in Memphis she won an Edward R. Murrow award for a project about the 50thAnniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Currently, Sasha Jones serves as a consumer advocate, helping South Florida viewers resolve consumer issues with major brands and state agencies. She also works on special projects that focus on environmental and social issues. In 2022, Jones won a Regional Emmy Award for a three-part series about South Florida Black Burial grounds and state-wide preservation effort to uncover and restore the historic sites.
Sasha Jones is also the producer of the original NBC 6 documentary Bittersweet Muck which focused on the issue of air quality and the impacts of agricultural burning.
Jones is passionate about her family, community, and creating content that sparks conversation.
Panelist: Patrick Ferguson
Patrick Ferguson currently serves as the Senior Organizing Representative for the Sierra Club’s Stop Sugar Field Burning Campaign, he has been with the Sierra Club since 2016. Patrick, an attorney, earned his Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University School of Law in 2015, after completing his undergraduate studies in Political Science at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. in 2012. Patrick has helped build the Stop The Burn-Go Green campaign into the nationally recognized grassroots-led environmental justice movement it is today.
His experience in environmental advocacy and campaign organizing has extended into academia, where he taught an undergraduate course in environmental law at Nova Southeastern University. Before his tenure at the Sierra Club, Patrick was actively involved in private general practice and local environmental activism. He organized a climate march and founded a non-profit organization called FlowVolution Inc.
Patrick is committed to building a more just and sustainable future. He is passionate about the environment and movement.
Host: Yanatha Desouvre
Desouvre, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and Philadelphia, is a modern-day renaissance man. He is a best-selling Amazon.com author, 1st full-time professor of entrepreneurship at Miami Dade College’s history. Desouvre was a member of the National Academy of Recording Artist and Sciences (Grammys) for 11 years. He served on the executive board of the National Association of Black Journalist, (NABJ) South Florida Chapter and he’s a member of the NABJ nationwide. He founded a R.D.J.A DES LLC a PR and media company. He’s a sought out public speaker, and critically acclaimed and award-winning filmmaker (screenwriter, producer). His latest screenplay, Fortunate Son, was inspired by the shooting death of his Sunday School teacher when he was only 7 years old. The Blacklist, a renowned screenwriter’s platform commented, "For fans of (Oscar-winners) If Beale Street Could Talk, Moonlight, and (Emmy-Winner) Dopesick this is a script that deals with emotionally significant subject matter and tackles real-world issues in a compelling way.
Desouvre has been featured in various print publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, South Florida Caribbean News, Miami Herald, Miami New Times, Haitian Times, Sentinel HT, HuffPost and Black Enterprise, and on television outlets that include South Florida PBS, ABC, CBS, and NBC. Desouvre earned his Bachelors in Business Administration with concentrations in Management Information Systems and Marketing at Drexel University. He earned his MBA with dual concentrations in Mass Communication Media Management and Marketing.
AGE GROUP: | New Adults | Families | Everyone | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Speaker | Movie | Discussion/Lecture |
| Mon, Jan 13 | 10:00AM to 8:00PM |
| Tue, Jan 14 | 10:00AM to 8:00PM |
| Wed, Jan 15 | 10:00AM to 8:00PM |
| Thu, Jan 16 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Fri, Jan 17 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Sat, Jan 18 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Sun, Jan 19 | 10:00AM to 6:00PM |
