FEATURE: Kofi's Kitchen

I qualified for a grant for £17,000 last year in order to help kickstart my Ghanian Street Food & Sports nutrition pop up named Kofi's Kitchen. When doing my market research and looking for suppliers, I wanted to find (deep breath) the best "quality" pork, chicken, beef etc. My knowledge at the time took me to visit as many local free range farms as possible. Believing them to be a (wait for it) more sanitary, healthier and "humane" source of obtaining meat. I took a look at some of the  suppliers first hand and man! I couldn't believe what has been okayed to be classed as humane and free range. 

As I'm into sports nutrition, I got a list of medicines, antibiotics and pesticides that the animals were consuming and looked at their effect on the human body and couldn't believe the results. All I'm saying is that with each meal, we are essentially killing ourselves... 

This was the catalyst that led me to watch Vegucated (unfortunately it was whilst eating a double cheese/double pepperoni pizza) then straight away Earthlings. That was on May 23rd, 2015 and I haven't touched any animal products since and never will again. I just stopped "cold turkey." Since then I've reworked my menus, converting the best Ghanian dishes into proud vegan ones, which we will be featuring soon enough on the show. In my area, veganism is virtually an unknown lifestyle but I have been surprised to to see how well the food has taken off at music events and when I've been hired to do private catering. 

It's been an amazing experience. My family supports me, especially my mum who has given up everything except fish (working on that), but my challenge will be when I go back to visit family in Ghana. I have to try to explain my lifestyle to them and win them over.

My love of comics, films and sci-fi has been fused with my love of cooking and the power of food in bringing people together (everyone's gotta eat right?). This is demonstrated through the show we have started. At CTK we hope to use this as an example of our diverse skills whilst building a strong body of creative work, which captures energy, emotion and the essence of the moment with every project we do. We have many more episodes in the bank that we can't wait to share with people and we can't wait to see what you all think of it. Keep an eye out on our channel for upcoming original content. 

Also I would like to add, thank you for all the work you do in the vegan community. I remember the weekend when you guys popped up on twitter and my face literally turned into the no mouth emoji . No joke. I had to go to the doctor and write down why my face was yellow and my  mouth was gone.

As you can see from the video I'm okay now 🏿! 

The show itself takes comics, movies, TV shows and pop culture, puts it in a blender, 'n fries/grills/bakes up some unique dishes and recipes inspired by a different theme. It's simple and easy! We provide steps with informative information about the ingredients that we use. Oh and It's pretty funny too!

My twitter is @kofi_smiles

Twitter: @CTKMedia

Website: CTKmedia.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CTKMedia.co.uk

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsdNSR_9SUoXTrFJgkNSwiA

FEATURE: Sophia President (Mama SunFiyahh)

Old Habits Die Hard

I had (and still have) a very busy life. I am a 50 year old grandmother to two beautiful little girls, Alaiah (4) and Ariannah (2), and a business owner. Because times got a little hard, I took a third shift to supplement my income. Like most Americans, my life is highly stressful. At the time of my health scare, my diet consisted of fast foods, heavy sauces, sweet drinks, and meat meat meat. My only exercise was getting in and out of the car. I was one of those people who would drive around the parking lot until a parking space became available in the front. Lord knows Walmart had the best chicken wings. I used to call them crack wings because they were so addictive. 

My Journey

Anyway, my life seemed to be getting away from me. It was as if I had greasy fingers trying to catch glass plates. Juggling those plates became very difficult and as a result, I began to drop a few. As luck (life) would have it, my car died...it had been struggling for a while. I started catching the city bus to work which allowed me to get a little exercise in...not much becuase the bus stop was across the street from my house. My oldest granddaughter was a micro-preemie. She was born at 24 weeks gestation and weighed 1lb 6oz. I was her caretaker during the day while my daughter went to school and work which meant that I didn't sleep when I got off from work. I was always tired. I couldn't sit down five minutes without falling asleep. 

The Health Scare

I had been having frequent heart palpitations. WebMD describes heart palpitations as a feeling that your heart is beating too hard or too fast, skipping a beat, or fluttering. You could actually see my heart beating in my throat. My hair used to move with my heart beat. I knew something was wrong but I didn't tell anyone. I didn't go to the doctor because I had no insurance. I figured that I would be okay if I got more rest. I had been to the hospital a couple of times and each they told me that I had hypertension...but it didn't sink in. I really didn't connect the symptoms. 

 I had a horrible cough that got worse and worse. I could no longer sleep laying down. I had to sleep in an upright position. I would cough so hard people would look at me as if I had Tuberculous or something.  Not having a primary care doctor to follow my health kept me from fully understanding how much danger I was putting myself in.

One Dark Night

One night while at work, I had a severe heart palpitation. It was sort of like when your computer reboots or restarts. I took a big breath and jumped straight out of my seat. The room slowly became dim and blurry, and it was as if I was looking through a tube. I was weak, dizzy, and nauseous. I had enough strength to put my coat on and grab my purse, but I only made it as far as the couch at the front door. I felt as if I was dying. I remember saying that when the first shift lady comes, she will find my body, and then I closed by eyes. Much to my surprise, at 6:50am, I woke up. It took me a minute to believe that I was not dead. My co-worker came in. I told her that I didn't feel well. I caught the bus home and did not tell my family what happened. I did however tell a good friend about the incident. He made me to to a cardiologist friend of his. 

A New Day

Based on my symptoms, the description of the incident, and after running tests, the cardiologist said that it sounded like a heart attack BUT there was no evidence of me having one. He looked me straight in the face and said, "Sis, I'm going to put it to you straight. Every problem you are having is diet related. If you don't change your diet, I can just about guarantee that you will either have a stroke, heart attack or be dead within this year!"  

I began juicing and eating clean. I walk and I go to the gym. As a result of my lifestyle change, my co-workers started juicing. As a matter of fact, I bought a NutriBullet and juiced for them for a small fee. It has been almost 4  years now. I am mostly a raw vegan. One of the best ways to keep from making unhealthy food choices is to prep your foods and make a meal plan. I buy fresh foods and freeze them. My family has begun to make healthier choices. I don't buy processed foods or meat products anymore so if they want to eat something else, they have to buy it themselves. I have been able to connect with other vegans which has helped me stay the course. 

My suggestion to people who are beginning this high vibrational lifestyle is to find a support group of like-minded people. Don't be afraid to try new things. Most of all, don't be overly hard on yourself when you fall short of your DAILY dietary goals. Lawd willin and the creek don't rise (my grandmother's favorite phrase) you will wake up in the morning and do it again. Invest in yourself...you are worth it! Love ya...mean it! 
 

Black Vegan News Roundup

PEP Foods Inc. Is Raising Money To Open An All-Vegan Kitchen In West Baltimore

Pictured from The Baltimore Sun. From left to right: Luz Villar, Brenda Sanders, and Kyle Harvey. 

Pictured from The Baltimore Sun. From left to right: Luz Villar, Brenda Sanders, and Kyle Harvey. 

Brenda Sanders (pictured in the middle), a food justice activist and PEP's sales coordinator, spoke to The Baltimore Sun about the organization's goals. She said: "Our goal is to get healthier foods into the convenience stores, into the carry-outs and the corner stores." Read more HERE. 

Syl and Aph Ko to Speak on Feminist Panel at UCLA

Syl and Aph Ko (co-founders of Aphro-ism and Black Vegans Rock) will be speaking on a panel at UCLA called Compassionate Connections: The Intersections of Feminism and Animal Rights. Lauren Ornelas of the Food Empowerment Project and Jacqueline Morr of Project Intersect will be on the panel as well. 

Dr. Breeze Harper Featured in Autostraddle

This is a screenshot from the original article

This is a screenshot from the original article

Autostraddle released a list titled "50+ LGBTQ Black Women You Need To Know Because We Are Awesome" and Dr. Harper was featured! 

Donate to Grow Where You Are

Grow Where You Are is a team of vegan farmers and food justice activists doing revolutionary work in the areas of food sovereignty, ecological restoration, vegan outreach and education, and animal=free growing techniques. You can become a Patron HERE. 

Free Screening of Vegucated

Do you live in the UK? There's a FREE screening of the film Vegucated in London on March 5th. Check out details on the Vegucated Facebook Page and make sure to RSVP. You're more than welcome to invite your local friends to the screening as well!




FEATURE: Londale Theus Sr.

In 1982, at the age of 25, I began seeking and embarked upon a quest to experience the spiritual truth about myself and my life. Shortly thereafter, I found a personal path of spiritual development that follows certain protocols including a lacto-vegetarian diet, abstinence from alcohol, drugs and tobacco, a moral way of life, and the practice of daily meditation. I've been following this way of life for 33 years. Vegetarianism is at the very foundation of this path because it is important to eat as low on the "karmic food chain" as possible. Given that, and for optimal health, I now follow a vegan diet.

My first step toward veganism actually happened long before that time. While in college, I had a summer job as a hog pusher at a slaughterhouse in Los Angeles. One day during my break, I witnessed the slaughter of dozens of hogs. They struggled and screamed as their throats were slit. It was a horrible experience. I quit shortly thereafter and never ate pork again. Years later I made the connection and stopped eating all animals. In fact, when our children Londale Jr. and Kamaal were young and asked why our family did not eat meat, I told them, "Animals are our friends and we don't eat our friends."

As you can imagine, being vegan in the '80's (and African American!) was quite a rarity. Because of my work and athletic build, I've shattered so many myths (some that still persist today) about strength and endurance of vegetarian and vegan athletes. I was a police officer for over 20 years and during my time in the academy, I won the award of merit for physical fitness by scoring a perfect score on all of the rigorous physical training tests. I was the only recruit in the class that won the award and the only one that did not eat meat. 

Although being vegan is foremost based upon spiritual values, I have been blessed with excellent health as well and feel years younger than my chronological age. I have never had any diseases associated with the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.). My wife and daughter are excellent vegan cooks and I don't feel like I'm missing anything at all since their recipes are "veganized" versions of foods I grew up eating. Currently, I (along with my son Londale Jr.) am an actor and having home-cooked vegan food with me during the day when I'm on set or traveling to auditions makes a huge difference in how I feel and perform. Our website, Veggie Soul Food, has some of our favorite recipes as well as our family's cookbook, The Vegan System. 

It is wonderful to see the growth in awareness of the many benefits of vegan living. We've come a long way but still have far to go. Thank you Black Vegans Rock for this important work! 

Londale's website: LondaleTheus.com 

SPECIAL OFFER FOR BLACK VEGANS ROCK READERS

The Theus family is offering BVR readers a $5.00 discount for their downloadable book The Vegan System. All you have to do is enter the coupon code bvr2016. It is active now and may be used anytime. Go towww.veggiesoulfood.com to download your copy today! 

FEATURE: Ruby Lathon, PhD

Dr. Ruby Lathon motivates and inspires with her powerful story of overcoming thyroid cancer through a plant-based diet. After learning how to care for the body naturally, Dr. Lathon left behind a career as an award-winning engineer and began teaching the benefits of plant-based nutrition.

Dr. Lathon chose a vegan diet after researching natural methods of healing cancer.  After successfully reversing her cancer with only dietary interventions and lifestyle changes, she became an advocate for the life-saving benefits of plant-based nutrition.  Dr. Lathon is a certified holistic nutrition and wellness coach and teaches others how to re-engineer their lives to live disease free.

Dr. Lathon received a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering, from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and a B.S. in Computer Science.  Dr. Lathon served as Vice President of an engineering and management consulting firm and was a Senior Engineer at Sandia National Laboratories, a national security research laboratory. She also served as a Research Fellow at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Dr. Lathon later served as Nutrition Policy Manager at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine where she developed and led a national grassroots campaign to advocate legislation for more healthful, plant-based meal options in the National School Lunch Program.

Through her organization, Roadmap to Holistic Health, Dr. Lathon hosts a number of health conferences, workshops and vegan cooking classes and provides customized nutritional consultations, including therapeutic diet plans.  In 2014, Dr. Lathon launched the “Re-engineer Your Life Holistic Health Summits”, a conference that provides laypeople with a roadmap for obtaining optimal health.

Dr. Lathon is a contributing health writer for African American Lifestyle Magazine and was a speaker at the Congressional Black Caucus Panel, In Pursuit of a Healthier Black America.  Dr. Lathon is an invited member of the African American Speakers Bureau on Health and has been an invited keynote speaker at several conferences and other events such as the Washington DC, San Francisco and Rehoboth Beach Vegetarian Festivals.

Dr. Lathon is host of The Veggie Chest, a plant-based cooking show, featured on FoodChannel.com, AOL.on, kweliTV, IfoodTV, and many other outlets.

Dr. Lathon’s services:

  • Nutrition, Holistic Health & Wellness Speaker
  • Seminars & Workshops
  • Cooking Demonstrations (Vegetarian, Vegan & Raw Food)
  • Personalized Nutrition Coaching & Consultations

Links:

Website:     www.RubyLathon.com 

YouTube:     www.YouTube.com/TheVeggieChest

Facebook:     facebook.com/TheRubyLathon

Twitter:        @RubyL

Instagram:    Instagram.com/RubyLathon

FEATURE: Mohammad Danti (Square de Med)

My name is Mohammad Danti (I'm known as Square de Med) and I'm a young vegan man from Ghana. I grew up in a small village, predominantly a peasant farming community where African traditions are highly practiced. We worship Gods and sacrifice animals during festivals, and we ask good fortunes from the Gods. I never knew my dad as he passed on while I was a kid. My mom remarried another man who i considered a true dad at childhood.

We were farmers as well and we reared animals and grew our own food. I was always so fond of the animals and I spent much of my time with them as a kid. For instance, we had three dogs who helped us during the dry season to hunt wild animals in the forest. This is a very common practice in northern Ghana. I was always with these dogs and considered them to be my best friends. My first great blow was when these dogs were sold because they were considered too old and no longer effective in the hunting expeditions. 

The worst happened when my only cat was killed in one of our yam festivals! I could not eat the meat. It was like trying to bite the cat while it was still alive. It's face was in my mind as I tried chewing the meat. I ended up vomiting that particular night. But I could not openly express my feelings about the meat but could only say, "The food didn't meet the liking of my stomach." Since that day, I could no longer eat meat. This was around 2002, and at that age, I was in primary school. I had never heard about vegetarians or vegans then. But I stopped eating meat and became a vegetarian unknowingly! My only shortfall was eggs.

It was when I got to high school in 2007 that I came across the terms vegetarian and vegan. I asked lots of questions in class on these new terminologies. From then on, I started doing research, however, I didn't have the internet. It was in later years around 2012 that an internet cafe was set up in my locality. I could now go there and buy time to read. It was then that I realized that I could survive on a plant-based diet. It was then that I realized the true suffering of animals. 

I then made my feelings known and let all those around me know that I no longer wanted to eat anything forcefully taken from a defenseless animal. I tried telling friends how I felt, but most of them laughed at me. Most people brand me as "mad" because of my ideas. My world was really lonely until I was introduced to Facebook in 2013. I started joining vegan groups and making friends as well. I wept the first day I was shown Earthlings. It was a real nightmare for me. I started my own activism in my own small way. I started sharing the small knowledge I had with others, trying to bring them to the light, trying to correct the wrong which had been perceived as right. I used the name Square de Med on Facebook. This was a nickname I used in football when I was in school. Most of my friends know me by that name.

I've had a dream of being part of a vegan family out there one day, to learn more and to get the requisite knowledge to help me effectively fight for justice for all beings. This is almost achieved as a good friend is helping me to raise funds to be part of the Intersectional Justice Conference which is being held next month in Seattle, WA. 

I am so proud of being vegan and fighting for the voiceless. 

Sunday Black Vegan News Roundup

Waka Flaka Flame Vegan Muffin Video Goes Viral

A recent video with Waka Flaka making vegan muffins has gone viral on the internet. It was even trending on Facebook. Check it out: 

Donate to Dr. Breeze Harper's Patreon Account

Dr. Harper created a new Patreon account so that she can get some funding for new book Recipes for Racial Tension Headaches: A Critical Race Feminist's Journey Through Post-Racial USA's Ethical Foodscape. Please consider donating so that she can continue her ground-breaking work. 

Whidbey Intersectional Justice Conference Features New Speakers and Guests

The Intersectional Justice Conference, which takes place from March 25th through March 27th has added Dr. Breeze Harper and Brenda Sanders to the speaking roster. We have also learned that David and Paige Carter will be attending the conference as well. Other speakers include Carol J. Adams, Pattrice Jones, Aph Ko, Pax Ahimsa Gethen, and Lauren Ornelas. 

Free Screening of Vegucated

Do you live in the UK? There's a FREE screening of the film Vegucated in London on March 5th. Check out details on the Vegucated Facebook Page and make sure to RSVP. You're more than welcome to invite your local friends to the screening as well!

Check out the Veggie Connection Event

The Veggie Connection is a network event where vegetarians and vegans are exposed to a host of vegetarian/vegan-minded exhibitors with products for sale and free samples. The event takes place on July 2nd from 10am to 4pm. For more information, click HERE.

FEATURE: Angel

I first became interested in a vegan lifestyle in 2012 when I was working at a dead-end job. I was constantly stressed and as a result, developed poor eating habits that almost ruined my health. I developed atrial fibrillation (or afib). My cardiologist suggested a cardiac ablation and when I saw the electrocardiologist who was to perform the procedure, he informed me that I could bleed out as a result of the blood thinners I'd need to take leading up to it and said the procedure might not be effective. Before I left his office, I decided not to have the procedure, that I'd quit my job, and I'd adopt a vegan lifestyle. 

I felt better quickly and the afib episodes stopped. 

After this, I was feeling better and more comfortable, so I became careless. I slowly started eating more and more meat (as well as other crap foods). There was just so much pressure. I had a tough time because bad food was all around me. It's around all of us. My husband wasn't too interested in eating healthier, so I fell back into really bad eating habits. 

About six months ago, I started having trouble walking. My Achilles' tendon in my right foot became inflamed and the way I was walking started to make my whole right leg hurt. I began to practically drag it around. It affected my whole life. I honestly thought I was going to have to file for disability and just quit life, but I remembered how much cutting out meat products helped me so much before. I decided that I needed to embrace the vegan lifestyle again...for good. 

I am happy to say that since I did this, I've regained the use of my right leg and the pain in both my heel and knee are gone. My body is definitely coming back into alignment. I realize now that the purines in the meat I was eating caused such a build up of uric acid that gout had set in. I feel amazing now. I feel like my old self again. I'm more informed and feel like I'm part of an actual community this time around. I've also become creative and more open with trying new, healthy foods. 

I was so inspired by the launch of this website that I started a local Meetup called "Black Vegans in Austin". A few people have joined so far and I'm hoping they'll come out to the first event. More support is always helpful and I'm interested in hearing why they've embraced the vegan lifestyle. 

I love to cook and I share a lot about my journey on Instagram. My blog is in the works and I reach out to other people who are hoping to change their lives on my FB page. I'm @lifemusic_atx on Twitter.

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