FEATURE: Amanda Hinds

Hi, I'm Amanda Hinds from 365 Vegans.

I went vegan 4 years ago and it was the best change I’ve ever made. I’ve done so many exciting things and explored the world through my vegan journey. 

I tried going vegan when I was younger, since I really didn't like meat much and I felt uneasy about it. Unfortunately it didn't last long and it wasn't until I graduated and got a job that I started to think about what I was putting on my plate. I became pescetarian but slowly came to understand the harsh realities faced by sentient beings. 

 Later I studied social work. It is drilled into us that we have to speak out against the injustice and oppression that surrounds us. A friend sent me a YouTube video and as I watched it, nearly everything I ate was questioned. All the reasons I had formed for eating fish, milk and eggs were dismissed one by one. By midnight that evening (I was actually meant to be writing an essay) I had decided to begin my vegan journey. I knew I needed to learn how to cook vegan food and find a community to help me along the way, so the next month I set up a vegetarian society at my university. I quickly found some vegans and we set up a weekly cook and eat session every Monday. I give all credit to that group for teaching me how not to turn vegetables into mush, unless that was the intention. 

I became more and more passionate about veganism every day and wanted to be an activist in my own way. This led to my current project, which is to interview 365 Vegans around the world. 

 I want to create a space where people can share their own narratives about their vegan life. The project hopes to create new vegan role models that challenge the stereotypes perpetuated by non-vegans. Over time I became aware that the project lacked diversity. I am now focusing on interviewing vegans from different countries and cultures. I have recently returned from China and India, and I’m putting down plans to visit some African countries very soon. It can sometimes feel like we’re alone with our vegan lifestyles, but there are so many vegans from different backgrounds across the globe.

I have learned so much from others while doing this project, such as the importance of being intersectional in our activism. I wouldn’t have learned about the ways people are using food as a form of empowerment and individual activism, and I wouldn’t have found out about Black Vegans Rock if I hadn’t had a tip off. On the whole, my vegan journey has been the most wonderful and fulfilling experience I’ve ever had. It has been confusing at times and I’m always learning new forms of activism and how to empower others but I never regret the day I became vegan.

Health and Wellness: The 10th Element of Hip Hop Tour

Join Hip Hop Is Green and Vegan Outreach for Health and Wellness: The 10th Element of Hip Hop Tour in New York City during Earth Day weekend, from Thursday, April 21, to Friday, April 22, 2016.

 This historical celebration will officially declare “health and wellness” as the 10th Element of Hip Hop. Tour highlights include the Health and Wellness: 10th Element of Hip Hop Ceremony, a symposium, and a celebration. Confirmed participants include Hip Hop and NBA legends, chefs, and holistic practitioners who live vegan lifestyles including international Hip Hop artist Stic of Dead Prez, The Lox rapper Styles P, Cold Crush Brothers’ Supreme Easy A.D., legendary New York City breaker Mr. Wave, NBA legend and Brooklyn native John Salley, chef and author Lauren Von Der Pool, internationally renowned holistic practitioner Queen Afua, Raw Vegan Chef Chandra Lee, Harlem Grown founder Tony Hillary,and many others!

You can help move a whole culture towards health and wellness. This opportunity does not happen everyday. A real chance to make a real life difference in the lives of our youth in our communities, the animals, and our planet. 

You can help us serve healthy plant based meals and perform for youth and families as we embark on the 10th Element of Hip Hop Tour. We will visit many cities all around the country with the world's largest team of plant based hip hop artists, celebrity chefs, best selling authors, fitness experts and health speakers that perform and inspire youth and families to live healthy. 

Please follow this link to donate: 10th Element of Hip Hop Health and Wellness Tour.

Sunday Black Vegan News Roundup

Black Vegans at Intersectional Justice Conference

Christopher Sebastian McJetters, Pax Ahimsa Gethen, and Aph Ko. (Photo Credit: Ziggy Tomcich).

Christopher Sebastian McJetters, Pax Ahimsa Gethen, and Aph Ko. (Photo Credit: Ziggy Tomcich).

Last weekend, the Intersectional Justice Conference at Whidbey Island (Washington) featured many Black vegan speakers and guests. Aph Ko, Dr. Amie Breeze Harper, Pax Ahimsa Gethen, and Brenda Sanders gave powerful speeches. Black vegan guests included JoVonna Johnson-Cooke (MaituFoods), David and Paige Carter (300lb vegan), Unique Vance (Vegan Voices of Color), and Keith Tucker (Green Hip Hop Dinners). Christopher Sebastian McJetters was one of the organizers of the conference. You can find a writeup of the conference on the Funcrunch Files, and you find more pictures HERE. 

Brenda Sanders (Photo Credit: Pax Ahimsa Gethen)

Brenda Sanders (Photo Credit: Pax Ahimsa Gethen)

Dr. Amie Breeze Harper (Photo Credit: Pax Ahimsa Gethen)

Dr. Amie Breeze Harper (Photo Credit: Pax Ahimsa Gethen)

Group photo by Pax Ahimsa Gethen

Group photo by Pax Ahimsa Gethen

John Legend and "Scandal" Star Joe Morton Team Up for Play on Dick Gregory

Sergio of Shadow and Act writes:

"...It was announced today John Legend is producing an Off-Broadway production titled 'Turn Me Loose,' a comedy-drama written by Gretchen Law about the life of Gregory. Joe Morton (“Scandal”) is attached to star as the now 83-year-old." Dick Gregory is a famous civil rights activist and vegan! 

NYU Panel on Analogy Between Human Slavery and Animal Oppression

On April 22nd at 6:00pm, Steve Wise (President of NonHuman Rights Project), Aph Ko, and Christopher Sebastian McJetters will be presenting  their thoughts on the comparison between animal oppression and human slavery. If you live near NYU, consider dropping by! Here some more information about the event. 

Healthy Me Event on April 16th! 

Make sure to check out the Healthy Me event which is coming up soon! All attendees will receive a FREE gift bag and a cookbook with all of the food served during the event!

FEATURE: Jessica Norwood

I started my vegan journey because I was faced with horrible fibroid tumors. The doctor told me that I should consider getting a hysterectomy in order to restore my health. I was uninsured at the time so this was coming from a doctor I didn’t really know and I guess that really annoyed me because this stranger was telling me that my dream of being a mother was going to end before it could ever start. 

I was determined to not let this be my last chance at motherhood. So, I decided to take a step back and consult the tribe of women. It’s our cultural way to discuss big questions with our community because we can get advice on where to go, what to look for, and what to try. Sadly, patriarchy keeps sisters from sharing the struggles and learnings of our bodies with one another openly. It made sharing a bit awkward at first but slowly, I uncovered these powerful stories about how these women healed their bodies with plant-based diets. 

Within 30 days, my fibroid tumors shrank in size and I was officially about that vegan life!

More than just a tool for reclaiming my health, I began to see the power of reclaiming the food system and our culture with food as a strategy for building equitable local economies. What if we could reclaim our food sources? Could that create more jobs and more wealth for black communities? These are the questions that guide my thinking. Today, as a cultural investor and black business strategist and commentator, I am proud to showcase food, and other culturally based businesses, as a tool for wealth building.

For me, being vegan is about more than food, it is about liberation. As a vegan I am making a declaration about how I want to be seen, how I want to be treated and how I want to show up in the world. With every bite of food, I am practicing compassion and mindfulness and extending gratitude to myself, which I can then pour out to the world around me. 

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Jessica Norwood is the Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellow and the BALLE Fellow focusing on the intersection of culture in business as tool for local wealth creation. Follow her food journey on Instagram @JessicaNorwood

FEATURE: Joe "Monk" Coleman

Hello, my name is Joe "Monk" Coleman and I am 46 years old. I took on the name Monk because my friends said my lifestyle was similar to a Monk's lifestyle...however, this wasn't always the case.  

My journey to becoming a straight edge vegan was an unconventional one. I never knew what a vegan was until about three years ago. So, here we go...I was raised in organized religion throughout my whole childhood and after I left the house I lived just the opposite of my upbringing..I was out of control to say the least. After years and years and years of this, I realized this wasn't working for me either.. I was lost.

 My life started changing the day I sat down to meditate although I didn't really know what it was. A few years into meditation practice, a friend of mine came up to me as I was sitting and eating a veggie scramble, and they asked if I was vegetarian. Without thinking I said yes. I was probably just as shocked as her by my response. The connection with all life was being made! After this I had to learn how to eat and also discovered what a vegan was and made that transition, too. 

I'm no longer the party, meat-eating, depressed, lost man that I was...My purpose now is to bring awareness and understanding, and I want to spread the message of love and compassion for myself and all others :)

FEATURE: Sarah Juanita

I went vegan because I didn't like the reckless slaughter of sentient beings and the unethical cruel treatment of black and brown bodies. I have also noticed that I feel lighter and less dense maneuvering through life this way. My vegan journey was actually pretty difficult because of the  lack of knowledge surrounding how versatile this way of life can be. I was on and off for about four years under Queen Afua's influence which, for the most part, is still an enriching experience but it was too restrictive and I ain't even gonna lie, if I am highly bored and uninspired: I slip.

When I discovered Dr, A Breeze Harper's videos (my boyfriend would later buy me her book on my 23rd solar return; Sistah Vegan), Chef Ahki's videos, and Bryant Terry's celebrated book, The Inspired Vegan: Seasonal Ingredients, Creative Recipes, Mouthwatering Menus (2012), veganism became a more viable option.  When I found them and their dedicated facebook groups (which featured other groups that were fun, less stressful, affordable, anti-ableist, anti-sizeist, and not elitist), I became vegan. As long as I am not eating animals or their byproducts, I'm good. As a result, I feel even more creative, healthy, and level headed.

FEATURE: Shaquille Young

I am 22 years old, and I became a vegan when I was 21, a week after my birthday. My girlfriend told me about veganism, and at first I was a bit skeptical and worried about the protein (which I now know is seriously ridiculous now that I'm thinking about it). But I was busy in the gym, becoming a bodybuilder and was really worried about how I was going to maintain the gym gains without all that "good" protein in my diet!!

So, after a ton of documentaries, articles, and books, I decided that I could totally do it and be successful in being a vegan bodybuilder. Now, a year later, I am on the verge of having bigger gains, I am fit and healthy, and additionally, I am feeling great!! Veganism for me is not only for the animals, it is for the environment that I have to share and continue to thrive in for the rest of my life. We also need to ensure that our children can thrive in a healthy environment as well. Veganism, by far, is the best adventure I have ever been on.

Fun Facts: People call me Shaq and I'm an avid traveller. 

LINKS

My instagram is: @Purely.Vegan
My youtube is: @ConsciousVegans

FEATURE: Joana Fatondji (The Afropean Vegan)

 

My name is Joana Fatondji. I am 26 years old and I am mixed, my mum is German and my dad is from Ghana. I lived in Ghana for 3 years until the age of 6. Being African was always my understanding of my Identity so back in Germany I was deeply involved in the Black community.

Today I see myself as the best of both worlds and so much more since I have grown more spiritually and free. 

I was always looking for a way of combining my talents, skills, and passion to uplifting our African community but never really got it together (because I have identified myself as multi-passionate and -talented). 

In the last 12 month I have undergone a huge transformation and just went to do everything that I always had the desire to do as well as quench my thirst for knowledge and understanding.

I quit my job as an accountant (I have a bachelor´s degree in International Business). I became a volunteer at the organization called Love from Africa, I started to dance again, this time traditional african tribal dances (dancing has been my element since I was a child), I played theater with refugees, and I was on my way to start a business as a fitness instructor of an afro-dance fitness workout called Shakuma....soon to come ;)

All along doing all those things I went from being a pescatarian to being a vegan with conviction, believing that this is the only way to bring holistic healing not only to body, mind and soul. but also to ending world hunger, CO² emission, and other unbalanced factors on this planet/gaia.

My vegan  journey started with informing myself more and more about healthy foods and on that quest you can´t avoid finding information on where our meat comes from. After watching several documentaries, I didn't want to continue to eat animal bodies nor promote this industry any longer because I personally believe that anyone who watches a documentary about meat production, slaughterhouses and so on will know that they are part of the problem. So I first became a pescatarian for also most 3 years, continuing to eat fish (At that point, I didn´t have much  information about the "production" of sea food yet). But getting deeper and further along on my spiritual journey, I made more and more connections including the connection of our human suffering to the suffering of so many innocent living and feeling beings.

I believe 100% that as soon as we know about anything wrong we must change, stand up for it, and stand in for people and animals who are suffering under us.

With the journey I have embarked on, I want to contribute to raising awareness of animal rights, human rights and nature rights because so many people want to stay ignorant to issues that are not directly in their faces. And I also want to be able to offer people a way to achieve health, vitality, spirituality, longevity and joy through a holistic approach to health of body, mind and soul through live foods.

My course to be a raw/vegan/ Ayurvedic nutritionist starts next month and as I am writing this, I am sitting in the Social Impact Lab which is a platform that supports young entrepreneurs who want to tackle a societal or environmental problem with their business idea. 

Now I need to gather facts/evidence that will convince the pitch judges that the (German)- African community suffers from diseases caused from an unhealthy lifestyle including bad eating habits. That is the cause of many other problems they face in this society like not being able to 'perform'/ excel. 

If you could help me gather any information about this topic I would appreciate it a 1000 times. 

Together we can do so much, I know you know ;)! I love the page and support the mission 100%

 

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