FEATURE: Stephanie Redcross

Stephanie Redcross West founded Vegan Mainstream, a business/marketing consulting company, in 2009 to meld her passion for entrepreneurship with her passion for the vegan lifestyle. Stephanie has more than 15 years of marketing experience with small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. Passionate herself about living and advocating a vegan lifestyle for health, environmental, and ethical reasons, Stephanie has made it her life's mission to help like-minded entrepreneurs, bloggers and small-to mid-sized companies reach and exceed their goals. She also hopes to encourage all businesses to consider both the marketing viability and ethical importance of shifting to vegan-friendly products and services. 

Stephanie believes a key way to push veganism forward is by fanning the flames of like-minded entrepreneurs. She is working hard to build a solid infrastructure of successful businesses and brands to ensure that an ethical lifestyle is accessible to everyone, everywhere.

Stephanie and the Vegan Mainstream team provide business/marketing coaching, consulting and training for entrepreneurs, authors, chefs, personal trainers, coaches and business owners. Through one-on-one marketing consulting, online training, and local business workshops they help individuals launch and maintain successful vegan businesses.

They work with new and established vegan businesses, providing individual training and weekly business planning advice that transforms businesses. 

Stephanie's goal is to help create bigger, stronger and more sustainable businesses that support the expansion of the vegan lifestyle. 

FEATURE: Jason Harris

The transition to veganism was fairly easy for me. My sister has been vegetarian for 20 years, and there were no real family traditions centered around meaty meals. 

In my own quest to eat healthier, I began frequenting vegan restaurants. But it wasn't until a friend of mine went vegan that the decision became clear. She mentioned a few documentaries to watch that would help me make the connection: Cowspiracy, Earthlings and Forks Over Knives. After watching those three (eventually dozens more!), I made the connection and never looked back! 

It's been a year and I haven't been tempted to eat meat of any kind. I feel so much better in my soul to choose animal life over satiating my appetite with animal flesh and byproducts. I’ve learned so much about how to eat vegan. I remember shopping the local Farmer’s Market shortly after becoming vegan and buying organic avocado infused honey…Oops! Vegan’s don’t eat honey! Slowly but surely I learned the ingredients on the “Do Not Eat” list. It has been a continuous work in progress, but I embrace the challenge because it’s being done for the right reasons.

Reading The China Study has further solidified my commitment to the vegan lifestyle as it provides ample scientific research to suggest that animal-based diets contribute to many of the ailments we see in Western society: cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc. 

Many of my household items are also being switched from traditional products to eco-friendly, cruelty-free products, as are my clothing and other items.

I encourage everyone to adopt a plant-based lifestyle for the animals, the environment and improved personal health. I’ve always had concern for the well-being of all living creatures. Now that I’ve made the connection to how my eating choices impact the planet, I look forward to a lifetime of cruelty-free eating and living. Veganism is the way for me!

FEATURE: Samantha Salmon

I chose to go meat free in 2008. I was newly married and just starting my career in the corporate world. My husband and I had just moved to the Bay Area, California. (I’m originally from NYC). Since I was newly married, I wanted to step into the role of the perfect wife by cooking honey glazed chicken for my husband. I called my mom for the recipe. I had never made it before because I was never really a kitchen person. I baked as a child but not anything more than that. So I got the directions from my mom and dove into really putting my foot in this dish. I was so proud of myself and when I gave my husband a heads up that dinner was ready, he informed me he wouldn't be eating it because he was now vegan. I was really annoyed and upset that he wouldn’t even try. 

He sent me one of the latest videos he’d watched and I decided to watch it while I ate my honey glazed chicken myself. On the video he sent, a researcher was explaining the physiological differences between herbivores and carnivores in the wild and drew the comparison to the physiology of the human body. He made the point clear that the human body is most closely matched to that of an herbivore in the wild and the fact that we are acting as carnivores is causing a plethora of diseases. 

Our body was not made to digest meat. This video made a lot of sense to me but I had a long history of saying “if it don’t have chicken, it’s not a meal”. So I just challenged myself to try going meat free. I didn’t really plan to be vegan. I was just experimenting with myself. I spent 2 weeks as a vegetarian and naturally progressed to veganism because I was never a fan of eggs and dairy. The only thing I really was craving at the time that I had to wean myself off of was buffalo wings at Whole Foods. That was tough, but that mental struggle only lasted two weeks. 

I think I was able to quickly become vegan and stick with it for 8 years because I don’t miss out on flavor. The food I eat is very well spiced. My family is from Jamaica so we spice everything. We go beyond salt and pepper. Pulling on that and other ethnic cuisines, like Indian, African, and Middle Eastern dishes, I’ve been really enjoying whole food dishes (as opposed to processed foods and frozen meals).

It’s also helpful that I have always had support. My husband is vegan and made the transition  a couple of weeks before me so we kind of did this journey together. I have since inspired my mom to go plant based so it’s awesome when I go home to see her because she makes all the Jamaican dishes vegan and uses healthy ingredients. Her food is always delicious. My mother-in-law is also vegan. My husband and I even opened a raw vegan smoothie bar in Chicago (Earth’s Healing Cafe) where we’ve sold raw vegan entrees and desserts. We promote and educate a lot on how to allow the body to heal itself and the body heals a lot quicker when animal foods are not consumed.

Social Media Links

IG: https://www.instagram.com/rawfoodmealplanner

FB: https://www.facebook.com/RawFoodMealPlanner

https://www.facebook.com/EarthsHealingCafe

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RawFoodMealPlan

Website: http://rawfoodmealplanner.com

http://ehcafe.com

FEATURE: Terron "Kwesi" Wilkerson

While growing up my father had an infamous saying, “If it tastes good then it’s probably bad for you.” Those words served as one of many cautionary tales that I took with a grain of salt and stored on the shelf of my subconscious; that same youthful arrogance resulted in me being diagnosed as pre-diabetic by the age of 14. It took me nearly half a decade to fully measure the weight of that diagnosis. The remainder of that decade was spent confronting it head-on by committing to a vegan lifestyle.

The pinnacle of my health journey began in 2014 during my time abroad in Ghana, West Africa. The motherland decided that I was going to be a vegan long before the thought ever crossed my mind. Believe it or not, I rarely ever ate “real food”--not requiring MSG or a microwave--prior to making that trip. Traditional African-American dishes (fried chicken, candied yams, mac & cheese, etc.) were a few exceptions that were good for my soul, but still terrible for my body. Ghanaian cuisine introduced me to soul food’s first cousin (see: red red, waakye, spinach stew) which enlightened me to the concept of healthy eating that also tasted good. Despite not fully adopting veganism until July of this year, by the end of my 10-month stay abroad, I was racing down the fast track. 

“So, what made you become a vegan?” I wish there was a simpler way to answer that question. I’ve been asked so often in the past few weeks that I feel foolish for not having a PowerPoint presentation on-hand for these inevitable moments. Nevertheless, as with most of my important life decisions, I became vegan because it felt like the right thing to do. One explanation I have been able to provide is that my decision was made for both personal and political reasons. I identify with Black veganism because I see it is an active form of resistance against a capitalist, fast food nation that targets Black and Brown neighborhoods with the intent to poison us from within. Reading various posts on Black Vegans Rock assures me that I’m in good company.

That being said, I look forward to my health journey becoming smoother upon realizing that certain food doesn’t taste bad because it’s vegan, it just tastes vegan. I look forward to solidifying the belief that my health is always worth those few extra dollars. And most importantly, I look forward to never looking back. Black vegan fo’ life!

FEATURE: Alice Wills

My name is Alice Wills and I am a fun and spunky freelance actress from North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I enjoy reading, writing, playing guitar, cooking, running and overall fitness just to name a few. I decided to go vegan mainly because of the cruelty and nonchalance towards animals. I remember a real defining moment in my life when I dissected a large cat in anatomy class and skinned its arm. It looked exactly like a chicken wing, and that's when it hit me-that I was strangely eating dismembered corpses.

I went vegetarian but didn't have the self control nor the right motivation to maintain it. So six months ago I decided to take my passion for fitness to the next level and become a personal trainer as a second career. I am the only person in my immediate family that loves fitness and I am breaking the cycles of obesity one step at a time. Learning how my body functioned optimally as well as performed with certain foods made me realize the meat wasn't something my body thrived from but rather something that kept the weight on.

My skin reacts very poorly to dairy and I've never really enjoyed milk my entire life. After watching Cowspiracy and Earthlings it drove home the point that the animals were at our mercy and by killing them for our selfish unnecessary taste, it was also destroying the environment. I went cold turkey (what a terrible expression) and haven't looked back. I am vegan for life and would love to spread this lifestyle throughout our community because so much heart disease and chronic illness runs rampant and so much can be prevented through the vegan lifestyle as well as not contributing to an animal Holocaust.

I find it amazing, so many people fight saying #AllLivesMatter then contribute to murdering animals as if they don't have lives. So far my journey has been amazing and I only regret not being born vegan. This reminds me of my natural hair journey, wishing I had been born without the brainwash. My family looks at it as a strange outside lifestyle but I know they'll come around. Yes, going out is hard, but I love the added creativity to my cooking as well as new information I learn every day about nutrition.

Every once and in a while I'll get into a debate with someone uncomfortable with difference but its honestly awesome to be different and spread this good news. I love the aha moment people have when then realize I'm making perfect sense. I have no complaints other than I wish more people would be exposed to healthier foods in North Philly and more Vegan options to expand their world. I do volunteer work and I hope it exposes more people to veganism, and I hope to learn even more as well. 

Links

Instagram: @Ali_viatethemind

Facebook: Ali Ce  

Twitter: Ali_Ce92

Website: AliceWills.com 

FEATURE: MiLisa Coleman

My name is MiLisa Coleman, I’m 26 years old and a proud native of Cleveland, OH. I became a vegetarian in 2010 and at the end of 2013 transitioned into a vegan lifestyle. The catalyst was compassion for sentient life and my spiritual journey. I spend time outside with the Earth expressing gratitude and take pride in caring for my guardian of being (cat). Lately, I have been trying different recipes and doing a taste test at Cleveland area restaurants as they become more vegan friendly. I'd like to rock even more as a BLACK VEGAN by increasing my involvement in animal rights activism and have more intersectional discussions. I definitely see the links between anti-speciesism and anti-racism.

In Cleveland, I hope to form a group of black vegans and vegetarians that could use support and want to talk at length about the role veganism plays in the social justice movement. I enjoy the lifestyle very much and have become unapologetic about my choice. As vegans, we are looking at the world as a whole and mindful of the life we share the planet with. I am comforted by the digital platform Black Vegans Rock along with other Facebook groups as we know we aren’t the only ones and it is necessary to connect.

LINKS:

On my website, I introduce a few vegans/vegetarians I met in Cleveland and open the dialogue:
http://www.digimercy.com/perspectives/black-veggies-in-cleveland

I am also traveling to Egypt where I will be doing a journal project touching on veganism and intersectionalism:
https://www.gofundme.com/2n6ujrhu

I am open to submissions for my vegan blog:
http://www.digimercy.com/my-vegan-life

FEATURE: Olympia Auset

Olympia Auset, a 25 year old Howard University alumna, has founded a low cost organic grocery store to service low income communities in Los Angeles.

SÜPRMARKT operates weekly, providing 100% organic produce and aims to make great health and healing available to the communities that need it the most. SÜPRMARKT is seeking support with getting the word out, building partnerships, and gaining the exposure needed to keep this great thing going. They know expense is a huge barrier in convincing people to eat healthy and they want to burst through that barrier. 

Olympia writes:

I am a vegan of 6+ years (raw since September) who sees food as a huge key to liberation and consciousness. I cofounded an event series called The Lifted Gift to help my peers create a new kind of great time, which involves eating vegan, bringing themselves growth and joy, and having intriguing new experiences. 

I made a video last year which illustrates my mission in life, and how beautifully I'd like to see health and happiness spread.

Black Vegans Rock Interview with Olympia

Here's a video interview with Olympia, and we have her text responses below:

 

BVR: Where did you first learn about veganism and why did you decide to become vegan?

OA: I had one vegan friend in high school who learned about the lifestyle because of a family member battling cancer. In college, I gained another vegan friend, but the greatest amount of information for me came from attending study groups where many issues, including food, were broken down to me deeply. I decided to become vegan to stop being poisoned by food and to help liberate the earth. 

BVR: How did your friends and family react when you stated that you were vegan?

OA: They were surprised. I've had my share of family members trying to cajole me out of it or debate with me, but as time has gone on, people have become more positive and I even think I helped. Some of the same friends I debated with have become vegan, which makes me really happy because I see it was all worth it. People are starting to get it now.

BVR: Why are you a raw vegan now?

OA: Raw Vegan is the next step in health/ awareness. We are all evolving collectively, and raw is the next step in us achieving that God-like spiritual state. I know that when you eat living food you feel alive; theres a certain high that comes from eating only living things. I always knew "I'd get there" but last year, my spirit/ body began making it very clear to me that the time was now. I think that it is a part of pioneering our collective progress; as I move on to raw, others can move on to vegan and we can all elevate together. When I met Khepra, he looked SUPER young, but he was more than twice my age- I knew then it was the thing to do. It has been a very beautiful, beneficial experience. Veganism, and even more so Raw Veganism creates a certain strength within you to "be the change" in other areas of your life.

BVR: What advice or insight can you give to our audience about blackness and veganism? A lot of black folks feel like veganism is "white" and bougie. What are your thoughts?

OA: There are many things I can say! I'd say eat what you need to in order to transition, but #StayWoke when it comes to what you put in your body. The further you move from processed and packaged foods, the better equipped you will be to have a happy, healthy life and create positive change on Earth. If your family/ friends trip, don't trip with them! The best persuader is experience, so stick to your path and be an example, and when they see how well it works for you, I PROMISE they will catch on, trust me!!! Feed them delicious vegan food and they will catch on! I've seen plenty of asiatic vegans and great chefs who look like me, so I have never really felt that it was a "white" thing- that idea is an illusion. Everybody knows we are AWESOME cooks lol. 

Social Media Links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supr.mrkt/

Website: http://www.suprmarkt.la

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goys.entt

Twitter: https://twitter.com/flockabey

FEATURE: Dr. Richard Greggory Johnson III

Dr. Richard Greggory Johnson III, is a Tenured, Full Professor of Public Policy and Fulbright Scholar in the Department of Economics, Law and International Business, School of Management, University of San Francisco. Dr. Johnson's research centers on social equity within the fields of public policy, management, higher education and Human Resources Management.  He has been teaching in higher education for almost twenty years and is widely published with several published books and over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles.  

Dr. Johnson is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. He currently services as the Northern California District Director for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Inc. Dr. Johnson holds graduate degrees from Golden Gate University, DePaul University and Georgetown University. 

Dr. Johnson has been a vegan for ten years and started his vegan journey after watching many of his friends and family pass away from diet related illnesses. In ways he serves as a vegan ambassador everywhere he goes, including work, social functions and fraternity functions. Dr. Johnson is also a committed human rights  activist and animal rights activist as well. 

One of Dr. Johnson's favorite hobbies is turning traditional meat dishes into vegan meals.  He hopes to write a vegan cookbook focusing on such dishes in the next couple of years. 

Dr. Johnson is a native of the Bronx, New York, but now makes his home in Sonoma County, 45 minutes north of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Social Media

Website: https://www.usfca.edu/faculty/richard-greggory-johnson-III
Twitter: www.twitter.com/greggory345

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