FEATURE: Zaynab Shahar

Salaam y'all! My name is Zaynab Shahar! I'm a queer black Muslim vegan based in Chicago, IL. I've been chronicling my vegan journey on my tumblr for the past four years. 

I love taking pictures of the recipes I play around with, the beauty products I come across that actually work for black skin care needs, and the black owned vegan beauty brands whose products I can't live without.

Sometimes I write about the need for the mainstream vegan movement to adopt a more decolonial, actively anti-racist, anti-capitalist, fat liberatory praxis. On my own personal tumblr, I've written about the need for white vegans to re-examine the use of quinoa as a part of an anti-racist food justice ethic that resists food gentrification, and my favorite recipe books by black vegan authors and chefs. 

In the future, I want to write more about dismantling fatphobia in pan-african and white-centric vegan spaces (such a common link!), the link between vegan capitalism and fatphobic rhetoric, the need for more vegans for black lives matter, socially engaged spirituality and vegan praxis, and my adventures traveling internationally in Europe while being a black vegan. 

Best and blessings. 

 

 

FEATURE: Christa Shelton

Christa Shelton is a plant based health coach, speaker and NASM Certified Personal Trainer.  She began her transition into veganism back in 2001 when she began experimenting with eliminating meat products from her diet.  She made the full plunge to full veganism in 2006 and has happily never looked back!  After practicing the lifestyle for a few years, she decided to start a blog about her journey in 2010.  She has been writing and sharing about the vegan lifestyle ever since.  She has had the pleasure of sharing the benefits of plant based living on several different platforms including, Thrifty and Green , "Vegiquette"  the now defunct GoodVeg , Frugivore online magazine and I Eat Grass.  She has also had featured pieces or profiles on Spicy Wifey, Our Legaci, JL Goes Vegan, No Animals Harmed, Kwanzaa Culinarians, Brown Vegan, I Eat Grass and Vegan Mainstream. 

She is a proud member of the Speaker's Bureau and top health blogger for Wellsphere, a Vigilant Warrior Ambassador for Vigilant Eats, a writing contributor for Media Shower, a mentor for the Vegan Society , a 2013 Ambassador for Black Fitness Today and a 2012 member of the VegNews Street Team and a panelist at the 2011 Vida Vegan Con, the first annual vegan bloggers conference.  

In addition to writing and blogging about veganism, she pursues her passion for fitness through personal training and is also a former NPC fitness competitor.  You can keep up with Christa and learn more about her on her website at www.coachingwithchrista.com! You can follow her on twitter as well!

FEATURE: Lional and Tiffany Dalton

My name is Lional Dalton and my wife's name is Tiffany. We have been vegans now for over five years. I am a former defense tackle in the NFL. I wish I knew about this lifestyle when I played because I would have had a lot more energy and probably would have been a better player. I used to play with Hall of Famer tight end Tony Gonzalez who is also a vegan. Crazy thing is I used to laugh at him and tease him all the time about eating grass and berries LOL. Now I understand why he decided to live on a plant-based diet. I took so many stimulants to give me energy while playing in the NFL and Tony Gonzalez never took any supplements. I have just as much energy now as I had as a rookie in the NFL. The vegan lifestyle rocks. Right now I'm raising my three-year-old who is also a vegan.

FEATURE: Seba Johnson

Seba Johnson was born in the US Virgin Islands, where she lived in a public housing project and attended Head Start. A vegan since birth, Seba learned about animal exploitation at a young age, often attending protests along with her mother. By her early teens, she was staging her own protests, once standing alone with a handmade sign outside of a zoo. 

Seba Johnson made history as the first Black female to ever ski in the Olympics. At 14, during the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Seba also became the youngest Alpine Ski Racer in Olympic History, a title she still holds today. She placed 28th out of 64 of the world's best in the Women's Giant Slalom that year — no easy feat for a 14 year old! Unlike many other Olympic skiers, Seba faced extra challenges due to the fact that she was not only the youngest ski racer in the Olympic Games but also the first Black female ski racer in history. Many people were not ready for racial barriers to be broken in what was considered to be a white man's sport. She received her first death threat only three days after arriving at the Olympic Village. Hate mail and even attempts to disrupt her safety continued through the following World Cup and World Alpine Ski Championship competitions.

Four years later, Seba participated in the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France. As an animal rights activist, and a vegan since birth, Seba protested the following Winter Olympic Games. She qualified for the 1994 Games to be held in Lillehammer, Norway but decided to boycott because Norway had resumed the practice of commercial hunting for minke whales. She was once disqualified from a World Cup ski race because she refused to wear a ski suit that had a patch of leather sewn into it.

Seba ultimately quit skiing to attend college. She attended Howard University, became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. After college, Seba spent time traveling to educate youth about health and animal/human welfare. She also volunteered her time to teaching inner city youth in Boston how to ski. During the most recent Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Seba was vocal about controversies surrounding the Games. Those controversies included both abuses of animals and discrimination against LGBT people.

Seba aspires to inspire people to see beyond their societal-imposed limitations. Seba gives presentations nationally and internationally at VegFests, animal rights conferences, universities, and social justice seminars, and public schools (including those in her native Virgin Islands and paternal homeland of Burundi.) During the school year, Seba works as a Special Education Teacher's Assistant in an elementary school adjacent to a housing project much like the one where she got her start in life. 

"We must connect to a moral and ethical regard for each human and nonhuman animal until oppression is completely eradicated.”

Follow Seba Johnson here:

Website: http://www.sebajohnson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SebaJohnsonV/

Twitter: @SebaJohnson

Donate to Help Seba Tell Her Story

Seba is currently writing a book and she is raising funds to make this project come to life. Consider donating HERE. 

 

Thank You For Supporting BVR in 2016!

Art created by Eastrand Studios

By: Aph Ko, Founder of Black Vegans Rock

Can you believe Black Vegans Rock has been around for a year?! 2016 was absolutely incredible for Black Vegans Rock. When I originally launched the site on January 4, 2016, I had no idea that so many people were going to share their vegan narratives and thoughts with me. In 2016, we featured over 188 black vegans on our website, and we had well over 100,000 page views! We have over 15,000 followers on our Facebook page, over 3,000 on Twitter, and over 1400 on Instagram.

 This past year, Black Vegans Rock won the 2016 VegNews Magazine Bloggy award, which was quite an incredible accomplishment considering we've only been around for a small amount of time. BVR has been featured on Media Diversified, Huffington Post Black Voices, Blavity, Black Girl Nerds, and VegNews. 

Incredible moments also happened in the black vegan community. 

For me, I felt like my understanding of veganism grew after reading some of the features on Black Vegans Rock. We have quite an impressive, brilliant community. 

This year, I had the privilege of interviewing:

In particular, I was exposed to some incredible activists like:

For 2017, I am looking forward to

  • "The Invisible Vegan" documentary by Jasmine Leyva
  • Another incredible Vegan SoulFest from Brenda Sanders and Naijha Wright-Brown
  • My book Aphro-ism: Essays on Pop Culture, Feminism, and Black Veganism from Two Sisters
  • Breeze Harper's books. One is titled Recipes for Racial Tension Headaches, and the other is The Praxis of Justice in an Era of Black Lives Matter.
  • More incredible art work from Eastrand Studios

Most importantly, I am looking forward to reading more narratives and vegan journeys from black folks who are vegan. Thank you for reading our content, supporting our work, and helping us create an incredible digital community. 

Special thanks to Demetrius Bagley, Christopher Sebastian McJetters, Pax Ahimsa Gethen (especially for managing the Instagram page and the Index page), Stephanie Redcross, Tracye McQuirter, Dr. Milton Mills, and Dr. Breeze Harper for always being there to help and offer advice. Special thanks to Valerie McGowan who moderates the Facebook page! Also, I want to give a special shout out to Dawn Moncrief of A Well-Fed World who has been incredibly supportive of BVR.

I hope Black Vegans Rock has made you feel like you are a part of a large community of incredibly passionate, brilliant, insightful people who are trying their best to navigate systems of domination and resist through their food choices and attitudes towards non-human animals. As Zatiti Ema writes, "Going vegan is about being Malcolm, Martin and Harriet Tubman in the store, activists in the kitchen and at the table." 

Also, one of the most important things I've learned from Black Vegans Rock is that we all have different entry points into veganism, and we need to cultivate and celebrate those different entry points. Whether you became interested in veganism for animal rights, or for your health, know that we celebrate your decision. One quote that always stood out to me was from Kwame Williams who wrote: 

"I feel like anyone who lives a vegan lifestyle for an extended time will change their views on the animals we consume because the nature of the relationship has changed even if that's not how or why it started. At the end of the day, you will no longer look at animals as something to solely serve you for food."

I'm excited to keep reading black vegan narratives, and I hope that you continue to support this space, because representation matters. Thanks to everyone for sharing your personal stories and your perspectives. 

In 2017, we hope to feature even more black vegans. If you want to be a part of this online community, send an email to blackvegansrock@gmail.com and we'll include your narrative on the website.

Thank you for everything folks and Happy New Year!

FEATURE: Evan Wheeler

My name is Evan Wheeler I'm a very determined vegan who is a personal trainer, activist, athlete, mentor, life coach, and motivational speaker. I was born and raised in Camden, New Jersey, one of the most dangerous inner city urban areas in America. I rarely saw gardens growing up and the freshest vegetables I ever had were out of cans, but as I grew up to become an athlete, I began to take an interest in nutrition.

My journey began with cutting out pork, beef, and dairy products at the young age of 19  where I started to notice a rise in energy, an immune system boost, and better athletic performance. The next stages of my life led me to be a collegiate sprinter and captain of the University of Tampa track team, as well as a journalist. I started doing research on veganism and naturalism for the next 5 years.

My vegan journey began about 8 months ago and is still going strong. With each and every day that passes, I feel one with the earth where I'm returning my body to it's natural order of living. I wanted to become one with the earth by detoxing my body from these false beliefs that you need to kill and eat flesh to survive and become strong in life. Each day I defy the stereotype that only white people can successfully be vegan and successfully stay vegan long term, I was a 2016 Rio Olympic hopeful but unfortunately, I failed to qualify and make the team with so many other great athletes competing, but I would like to share my story hopefully to inspire others to embark on the vegan journey. 

FEATURE: Keachia M. Bowers

Vegetarian becomes Vegan: A Spiritual Unfolding

My journey towards veganism was birthed as a by-product of healing transformation.  It was inevitable.  I began to unfold and discover myself spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically.  However, things felt really incomplete.  After a full assessment of my lifestyle and the food I was eating, I realized that I was living a life for the past 19 years as a dead vegetarian.

Yes, I said it...dead.  I was physically living, but I was self-destructive in so many ways.  Much of my emotional pain from my childhood was brought into my adulthood and it shaped the way I was eating.  I was, what I like to call, an “emotional eater”.  So, when I felt inadequate and empty, I got some pound cake.  When I felt like life didn’t give me what I deserved, I treated myself to a slice of pizza.  It was full of veggies though, so I thought I was “better than” the rest.  If I wanted to cry, I didn’t allow it to happen.  I covered it up, pushed it down and ate whatever I wanted to eat; as long as it was fish, processed foods, and a bunch of other foods packed with eggs and milk…yup, cows milk.

Now, I’m not saying that anything is wrong with eating these foods.  NO. Not my claim.  I’m saying that once I awakened into finding my true self, my divine and radiant self, these foods could no longer serve me.  So, the battle began.  A true, internal battle of my inner self fighting with my outer self for liberation.  I became conscious and aware of how I victimized myself, self-sabotaged, suppressed anger, manipulated others, and a host of low vibrational thoughts and actions.  The awareness sparked change.  I began to pay attention to how I spoke to myself when I was alone.  How I spoke to others and more importantly, what I ate.
With this transformative state, I can honestly say that my journey towards veganism then became a radical and revolutionary act of self-love. Kindness, to the highest degree.  After years of standing in darkness, I finally allowed room for light to shine.  And it all came from within.  

What did the transformation offer me and the world around me? I developed a private practice as a healing counselor and Transformation Coach, Movements for Change, LLC in the South Florida area.  I began presenting a wellness workshop in my community, Vegetarian 101: Transitioning to a Healthy Lifestyle. I began motivational speaking in my community.  I began to rebuild healthy relationships, beginning with the one I had with myself.  And more importantly, I began to forgive myself for not knowing.  

Today, I tell myself and everyone around me…”Whenever I see my low vibrational self, I give her a hug and an apple...”

Social Media

Facebook: Movements for Change

Instagram: @Movements_for_change

Facebook: Vegan Recipe Exchange

Jamall Troupe aka Veganz N Da Hood

So, I grew up in a co-parenting situation. My mother was a city girl with southern roots, and my father was a city guy with same roots but had a more esoteric lifestyle and outlook on life. I grew up bi-household, and living with my father, or "staying" with him throughout my childhood, I was exposed to veganism at a very early age. When you're a child, you see this strict diet as punishment and in the early years I couldn't wait to get back to my moms residence to eat junk...in a nutshell. 

I became very aware of the different flavors and cultures I was being exposed to via my dad, whether it was eating middle-eastern or Indian, or just his girlfriend/wife's cooking that was just very different from what I was doing at my mom's house. A proclaimed "VeggieFruitarian", my father was vegan from the 70's who promoted animal rights and love for all the universe provides us with. My father was an activist in his own right who was very prolific in his writing skills. He had two more sons after me Tafari and Valtungie that grew up in his household. So, after going to college, and being able to live on my own and bounce around the country, I ultimately adopted a vegan lifestyle which was an easy transition for me and my family.

I've been vegan over 5 years. I was vegetarian/Pescatarian for 7. My son Hendrix was born vegan and he is 4. Animal rights means a lot to me, and I try to volunteer at rescues as much as possible. What's very important to me is reform, and teaching kids about sustainability, ethical animal rights, and eco, plant-based nutrition.  I hope this gives you a better idea as to what Veganz N Da Hood's focus is. We would like to change the way people consume food in the urban community through education. Veganism is not an elitist white person diet, as whole foods are attainable, affordable and necessary for our communities to flourish. 

Social Media

Twitter: @JayTroupe  
IG: @VeganzNDaHood
SnapChat: @VeganzNDaHood

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