Hello! We’re the HempKings - Osei Doyle & Brendalyn King

We’ve just moved from Brooklyn, NY to Salem, Illinois to surrender to an adventure. In a way, we have met parts of this journey already—that’s the cool story we’ll tell along the way.

About Us

We are teachers by trade and learners by nature - we’ve committed ourselves to returning to the land & giving back.

Osei - born in Brooklyn and raised in Trinidad, Port of Spain, was a New York City employee for 22 years with the Department of Parks & Recreation. He was the Chief Lifeguard managing and overseeing the 20+ lifeguards & thousands of patrons who visit the Marcy Pool in Bed-Stuy every summer season. Osei also served as the Head Coach of the Bed-Stuy Piranhas swim team operating out of the Bed-Stuy YMCA. You can find him now farming & constantly filming this project in collaboration with NightOwlz Productions.

Brendalyn, a St. Louis native - moved to New York City to attend college and later where she met Osei at the local YMCA - they’ve been in relationship ever since. At the time they met she was opening Leadership Prep Ocean Hill - a Blue-Ribbon award winning charter school in Brownsville Brooklyn. She departed her role in 2013 to work in healthcare & is now a full-time coach & Program Manager at Bhavana Learning Group. You will now find her walking around the local town of Salem meeting new people & planning for the retreats that will be held on their property.

As founders and persons of color we believe in freedom, reparations and family.

“We trying to buy back our 40 acres” - Kanye West

We’re currently farming in Illinois and looking to purchase land where we will integrate our Caribbean-American cultures to:

Cultivate hemp and design unique experiences for students and groups
Reimagine our idea of family and offer on-site opportunities for families to practice being together
Reform our perception of those formerly incarcerated and fund a retreat style fellowship restoring dignity to reentry.

We are 2nd year apprentices. We’re going to need your help and you likely know someone who can support us. Sign up below to keep in touch!

To receive updates and requests:

Text 🚜 to 618-221-5505

or

Sign up here 📠

Illustration by Philip Herman. Site by Jenn Scheer.

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:Blog: Healing with Hemp

#01: Unlearning being Busy & Productive in exchange for Sustainability