FEATURE: Joshua Black aka Urban Black Vegan

My name is Joshua Black aka Urban Black Vegan and this is my story. I've been a vegetarian/ vegan for more than 25 years. I started as a vegetarian over 20 years ago. The problem was I had become an unhealthy junk food vegetarian. A lot of fried everything, pizza and processed foods. This led to diabetes, weight gain and the associated complications . At this point I was a very sick vegetarian, suffering from low self esteem and a sense of failure. 

Until one night , July 4th 2011 at about 11:30pm I remember it clearly, I came across the documentary Fat Sick and nearly Dead. This documentary literally changed my life. I was able to relate to the story which shifted my thinking. It's hard to explain but it was as if I had been reprogrammed to think differently. The next day was the start to a 31 day juice only fast. I lost over 50 pounds, reversed my diabetes, dropped all medication, blurred vision, neuropathy and self esteem issues,. This is when my vegan journey really started to take root.

So after my 31 day Juice fast I committed to a healthy vegan lifestyle, I incorporated a lot of physical fitness and reactivated my gym membership. I was so inspired I became a certified personal trainer and began to share my testimony on the healing power of food.

Fast forward to today I have launched a Youtube channel Urban Black Vegan which covers issues such as food choices, how to transition to a plant based diet, social and political issues surrounding food, weight loss and information relatable to helping the black community understand the ethical and physical benefits of being vegan. I look forward to speaking to groups, growing my youtube channel and finishing my ebook The $5. Vegan (A guide to eating and living healthy on a budget).
 

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Social Media Platforms

website: 
urbanblackvegan.com
Facebook: 
facebook.com/urbanblackvegan
Twitter: 
twitter.com/urbanblackvegan
@urbanblackvegan
Instagram: 
instagram.com/urbanblackvegan
@urbanblackvegan

FEATURE: Alise Eastgate

I am a biracial black vegan and visual artist, born in Europe and raised in Louisiana. My overlapping identities influence my creative and activist work by consistently challenging me to explore connections within systems and ideologies.

A life-long animal lover, I first explored vegetarianism when I was in elementary school; I tried again in middle school and high school but didn't have the knowledge or resources to stay vegetarian for more than a few months at a time. When I was vegetarian, I usually defaulted to eating some form of bread and cheese, and I didn't have a critical analysis around my choice. I just knew I loved animals and didn't want to contribute to their suffering, and that eating them wasn't in line with that core understanding. 

I spent time on animal farms and grew up riding horses; but I didn't make the connections between animal exploitation, entertainment and food systems until many years later. I studied studio art and geography at the University in Alabama, and spent a semester abroad in New Zealand. Traveling gave me new perspectives on race, culture, language and meat consumption and more experiences on farms that would eventually lead me to the path of veganism.

In 2010 I had a critical awakening that challenged my beliefs and my actions. I was helping out on a sheep farm in New Zealand, and a friend of a friend's working border collie was pregnant with puppies-- a perceived inconvenience.  The puppies were born on Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning, the friend of my friend drowned them all. This was really upsetting for me, and I was told that it was the only choice and somehow better for the puppies. Later that day we had lamb for lunch and I started to realize the lack of alignment in my feelings and my consumption choices. How could I be distraught about one and on the same day eat the other? About a month later, when I was back in Louisiana, I decided I could no longer eat lambs.... or cows or pigs or chickens or turkeys, and I went pescatarian. I remembered how isolated I felt as a vegetarian in my childhood so I thought this choice might be an easier compromise.

2011 was the year I adopted my canine companion, Zoey. Living with her further broadened my understandings of sentience and compassion. 

Zoey and I moved to Oakland, California later that year, and that's where I first encountered veganism and got curious about food and food systems. There, I met my partner, Jack, who was raised in Fiji between a seafood restaurant and a cow and sheep farm; he shared my curiosities and concerns about food and went pescatarian too. We took a trip to Fiji in 2012 immediately following a cyclone. The cyclone significantly limited the availability of fish as food, so we ate almost all vegetarian meals and actually felt pretty good. While there, we also did some snorkeling and diving that opened our eyes to the sentience of underwater creatures; I realized that eating fish and other sea creatures wasn't in line with my values either. So upon our return to Oakland, we both decided to become vegetarian.

Photo of Jack, Alise, and Zoey

A couple of months into going vegetarian, I found myself eating meals comprised mostly of bread and cheese again, and I was feeling pretty miserable. Knowing that my symptoms were coming from lactose intolerance, I decided to cut out dairy as an experiment. It went well, for a couple of weeks at a time, and then I would have pizza and felt miserable again. I was pretty lost as to how to cook without dairy, so I started following vegan recipe blogs and trying new restaurants.

When I was cookbook shopping, I stumbled upon and bought a copy of “Sistah Vegan: Food, Identity, Health, and Society: Black Female Vegans Speak“ and reading that was incredibly powerful for me. It opened my mind to the many layers and systems connected in animal oppression and also gave me the language to articulate my own journey into veganism. I went on to read books including Majorie Spiegel’s “The Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slavery“ and Carol J. Adams'  "The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-vegetarian Critical Theory" that further fueled my curiosity and my commitment to veganism. I shared these books with Jack while he simultaneously shared other resources and perspectives with me, and we fully embraced veganism together in 2013.

Jack and I partner in art and design through our joint project, EastRand Studios; we use painting, design and photography to share imagery promoting compassion and challenging systems of oppression. In 2015, I did the sketch and watercolor images and Jack did the design magic for The Vegan Praxis of 'Black Lives Matter' Conference. That piece is what got us connected with Aph about doing the branding and web design for Black Vegans Rock! I really love this platform, and the movement building that's happening here, and I'm stoked to be able to bring my creativity to it. 

I love to travel and explore global perspectives on veganism and animal rights. In 2014, Jack and I lived and worked in Fiji and we've since explored more of the south pacific, U.S. and Southeast Asia. We currently live in Oakland, CA with Zoey, who is now also vegan.

Creative portfolio: www.aliseeastgate.com

Blog: www.eastrandstudios.com/blog

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastrandstudios/

Bria Bea: Things To Stop Saying to Black Vegans!

Being vegan can be tough in a culture where the consumption of animal bodies is normalized. However...being a Black vegan can come with it's own unique set of awkward experiences and interrogations, especially when veganism is still considered to be a "white" thing. #untrue #blackvegansrock

In this funny video, Bria Brea, a YouTuber and two-year vegan explains why some folks need to stop saying certain things to vegans (especially Black vegans). Check out Bria's previous feature on BVR!

What are some questions and comments people keep coming to you with about your vegan lifestyle? Comment below!

A screenshot from the video. #blackvegansrock

FEATURE: Stephanie (Vegan, What?)

Hey Guys! My name is Stephanie and my Youtube channel is Vegan, What? I was born and raised in California, ventured out to the East Coast for a few years, and made my way back to the West Side (It was too cold over there lol). I love to make yummy vegan recipes, fitness videos, and share information on how to have fun being vegan. Through my social media platforms, I hope to entertain and inspire others to live a Fan-Vegan-Tastic life!

I began my vegan journey in April of 2011 and it's been an amazing transformation. I was tired of how my body felt and I knew I needed a change. I wanted to be more compassionate and kind to my body but I didn’t know how or where to start. But, I did remember hearing about Alicia Silverstone’s book The Kind Diet. I went online and did a little research and decided that I needed to check this book out. When I received the book in the mail I was excited and nervous at the same time. I wanted to see what new and delicious food I would be trying but I didn’t want to hear about how terrible I was for eating meat.

So, I proceeded with caution. “I’m just going to be a flirt,” I said, which in her book means to just try and incorporate some vegan changes into your life from time to time. No commitment. That’s exactly what I wanted, no commitment! As I continued reading the book I realized that by eating meat and dairy, I wasn’t just affecting my health, but I was also contributing to the pain and suffering of animals and their babies. I continued to research veganism on the web and by watching documentaries. One day I was finally faced with the question “Am I going to make a change or not?”

So, I decided to take the plunge and go vegan. Wow, it’s been such an amazing experience and the benefits are endless! I lost weight and became about 99% asthma free (I only use my inhaler when I’m sick which is so rare these days). It was like my body had been waiting for me to make this change. I’ve met some wonderful people and animals, ate some delicious vegan food that I never would have had the chance to try, and feel completely as peace with at least one of my life choices.

Stephanie's Links

http://veganwhat.org/

https://www.youtube.com/user/veganwhat

https://www.instagram.com/veganwhat/

https://www.facebook.com/VeganWhat/

https://twitter.com/veganwhat

FEATURE: Christopher-Sebastian McJetters

Longtime vegan and social justice advocate Christopher-Sebastian McJetters divides his time between London and New York City. A copyeditor by profession, Sebastian is a staff writer at Vegan Publishers, part-time lecturer on speciesism at Columbia University and board member of Peace Advocacy Network. He focuses on examining the complex relationships between animal violence, environmental racism, classism, and capitalism.

Sebastian has also contributed to the anthology Circles of Compassion: Connecting Issues of Justice edited by Dr. Will Tuttle, UK-based Barefoot Vegan magazine, and the blog Striving With Systems in collaboration with Charlotte Eure, Aph Ko of Aphro-Ism, and Triangle Chance for All microsanctuary co-founder Justin Van Kleeck.

Read His Work: 

Christopher-Sebastian recently wrote a compelling essay for Striving with Systems called, "Animal Rights and the Language of Slavery" where he explains why we must be careful when we use slavery as an analogy for animal oppression. He says:

Basically what we're looking at is a pattern whereby blackness is used and commodified at different times and by different groups to further an agenda without offering any real type of solidarity on black issues. And if animal rights doesn't address this, our activism will be no different. 

FEATURE: Pax Ahimsa Gethen

Pax Ahimsa Gethen is a queer black vegan activist, blogger, and photographer. Assigned female at birth, Pax legally and medically transitioned to male in the year 2014 at the age of 43, but identifies as agender and uses gender-neutral pronouns (they/them/their). 

Pax graduated from Northwestern University in 1992 with a BA in American Culture, and departmental honors. The focus of their studies was law and ethics. They received a full fellowship to the Jurisprudence and Social Policy program at the UC Berkeley School of Law, but dropped out and began working at UC full-time in tech support and web development. They later moved to UC San Francisco to continue working in web development, podcasting, and video editing. 

In 2008 Pax left UCSF and launched an event photography business Funcrunch Photo. Their specialty is performing arts, with a particular skill in low-light concert photography. In 2015 they shifted to a patron-based funding model, making all their new work freely available under Creative Commons licensing. 

Pax has volunteered for food justice organizations in San Francisco, preparing and distributing vegan-friendly food to the needy with Food Not Bombs and the Free Farm Stand, and gardening at the Free Farm and Alemany Farm. They believe that free access to healthy plant-based food should be a universal human right. 

Pax blogs at The Funcrunch Files about gender and social justice issues, with a particular focus on cissexism (oppression of transgender and non-binary people) and speciesism (oppression of non-human animals). Their approach to animal rights activism is based on the standpoint that animals are people, not property, and that veganism is a social justice issue, not a diet. 

Pax currently lives in San Francisco with their partner Ziggy. Pax and Ziggy both enjoy vegan cooking and music making; Pax sings and plays piano and electric bass. 
 

FEATURE: MiLisa Coleman

My name is MiLisa Coleman. I am 25 years old and a native of Cleveland, OH. I am a Black Vegan that rocks.

My vegan journey worked in tandem with my personal evolution. Within, a questioning spirit burgeoned. My view of the world and existence shifted. I transitioned from a texturizer to a short afro. The timing of it was almost symbolic as it followed the death of my father. I opened myself up to eclectic spirituality (i.e. Buddhism, meditation, yoga, crystals). Growing up, there had always been cognitive dissonance about the process of animals becoming meals. 

In 2010, out of respect for friends of various faiths, I cut out certain meats and then no longer consumed any animals, and by the end of 2013, none of their byproducts. I subscribe to the belief in living without the exploitation of living creatures. I removed all apparel and shoe items that contained animal hair or skin, stopped attending the circus, the zoo, and do not support brands that test on animals. It is a compassionate way of being. I respect and love my fellow earthlings; we are one. I feel connected to the Earth more. Being in nature and eating of Mother Nature's goodness for sustenance is an earthly blessing. In short, I became vegan because I did not want to contribute to the suffering of animals. 

With that as my foundation, I did not struggle with eliminating meat from my daily food intake. However, it can be lonely being the only vegan in the household and the only black vegan at vegan gatherings or animal rights protests. Like many, I received questions about my reasoning, the taunts of dead flesh dangling in my face as though teasing would set me back into my 'right mind'. and of course the condescending question "What do you eat?" I take it all in stride. Going vegan was one of the best decisions I ever made as I continue to open myself up to life. Lastly, I applaud the social justice movements tied to veganism in response to food deserts and improving the health of under-served communities with green spaces.

Links

Personal Website: Digimercy.com

Facebook: Digi Mercy (MiLisa Coleman)

Facebook page: Digi Mercy: the Digital Footprint of MiLisa Coleman

Sunday Black Vegan News Roundup

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Chef Ahki Appears on Wendy Williams Show

Celebrity chef, Chef Ahki had a special appearance on the Wendy Williams show and demonstrated how to cook some healthy vegan dishes. You can find the recipes for the dishes HERE. 

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The Intersectional Justice Conference is Coming Up! 

On March 25-28th, the Whidbey Institute will be hosting the Intersectional Justice Conference. Dr. Breeze Harper, Aph Ko, Pax Ahimsa Gethen, Carol J. Adams, Lauren Ornelas, Brenda Sanders, and Pattrice Jones will be speaking alongside many other great activists. Christopher-Sebastian McJetters helped organize the conference. David and Paige Carter (from the 300lb Vegan) will be attending the event as well. For more details, click HERE. 

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Aph Ko Interview with Animal Voices

Aph Ko, the founder of Black Vegans Rock, explains the inspiration for creating BVR in this new interview with Animal Voices. You can find it HERE. 

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Stevie Wonder Urges People to Go Vegan

In a recent interview with AOL, Stevie said, "I’m motivating people to do something about how we’re living on this planet...We have to be about making our planet more greener, the urban areas more sustainable for the children...We can't just talk about it, we have to be about it."