REPRESENTATION IS NOT OPTIONAL
I am Opal. CannaMom. Creator. Visual storyteller. And the founder of Melanated Smoke.
I built this because I looked around an industry I loved and did not see myself in it. The cannabis space was whitewashed and the voices of Black and brown women, mothers, and everyday consumers were missing from the conversation. I was tired of being invisible in a culture that has always been ours.
I am not a lazy stoner. I am a professional with over a decade in event production who consumes intentionally, parents fiercely, and moves through the world with purpose. Melanated Smoke exists to show every Black and brown woman who has ever felt alone in this space that she is not. We are here. We have always been here. And we deserve a platform that reflects that
STOP THE JUDGMENT. NORMALIZE THE PLANT.
My why is simple. The narrative around cannabis has been weaponized against the very communities that have always used it. We criminalized the plant while the world normalized alcohol, a substance with far more documented harm to the body and the family.
I am not here to preach. I am here to educate, normalize, and hold space for every person who has ever needed the plant and been made to feel shame about it. Used with intention cannabis has the power to reduce pain, quiet anxiety, and offer an alternative to pharmaceutical dependency. That conversation deserves to happen out loud and in public.
Representation in this industry is not optional. It is survival. Black and brown brands are out here doing extraordinary work and not getting the platform they deserve. Melanated Smoke is my commitment to changing that one post, one tutorial, one story at a time.
THE VISUAL NARRATIVE
Visual storytelling has become a passion of mine. From everyday moments to everything we are building together. The culture. The plant. The life. My eye is for the real and the relatable and that is exactly what you will find here.
I love working with creatives. Many of the more popular shots you see are captured by photojournalist Justin "Olot" Featherstone. Together our perspectives create a synergy that is unmatched.
Every shot tells a story. Every video holds a moment. And everybody behind the lens gets their flowers.