FEATURE: Jennifer McCullers

Photo Credit: @4th.eye.diaries

Choosing a vegan lifestyle has been extremely rewarding for my mind, body, and spirit. It took me a while to be completely vegan. I had to eliminate foods one by one and living in a household with people who ate meat also made it challenging. Knowing that this was what I wanted for myself, I pushed through the withdrawals and cravings that your body will go through when transitioning. Though my ultimate goal is to fully be a raw vegan, I still reap the benefits of the lifestyle...It has expanded my creativity when it comes to food and actually made me love cooking. My energy is amazing and my thought processes are clear.

After being exposed to just how harmful the foods are in our black communities, it helped me tremendously in changing my lifestyle. But I must give thanks to my sister for helping me get on this journey where I found my calling by being a part of her experiences.

My sister had complications with endometriosis and issues with having children. My nephew who is now 3 almost didn't make it. He was born 1 Ib 6oz. He's well today with minor health issues and is truly a blessing. But the journey to sustain his life and the pregnancy was tough. It was heartbreaking to go through this with my sister and to see her in pain and the previous years of suffering from miscarriages, and constant cramping. The westernized medicine wasn't helping. So it encouraged me to do research and find other alternatives. I wanted answers to why black women everyday are suffering from the same issues relating to infertility and only being offered the option of having a hysterectomy. 

It wasn't until then that I truly found out that food can be a source of medicine. With my love for women's health, being vegan, and having experience in childcare; I combined the three and today I am happily a Doula! My goal is to help as many black women cleanse their wombs and bring healthy babies into the world with the use of foods and herbs. 

Adopting a vegan lifestyle has truly been an eye opener. I'm still learning and growing everyday, but I'm grateful for what it has taught me and that it has helped me to be a better me. It has allowed me to be in a position to give back to my community and help my sisters, and for that I am also grateful.

Social Media

Instagram: @radiant.sol
Email: nefersol.doula@gmail.com

FEATURE: Shawnte' Parks

I'm a vegan with a passion for providing people with delicious vegan treats. My specialties are cookies, cupcakes, and muffins. I also have a Sunday Dinner menu which consists of vegan collard greens, mac and cheese, crab cakes, lima beans, jerk tofu, and zucchini bread. Sunday Dinner is served with low glycemic watermelon juice or lemonade. 

My YouTube channel, Natural Vegan Mama, consists of recipe episodes as well as vlogs. For example, I go out to explore vegan restaurant options in South Florida. I also taste test new vegan products and share what I ate in the day to give my viewers meal ideas.

I'm vegan for the animals, the planet and my health. This lifestyle has changed my life. I used to suffer from poor digestion and exhaustion. I felt like I was walking in a fog. I needed coffee every morning just to feel alive. Now, most mornings, I start my day with fruit and I feel alive, awake, and ready to enjoy the day. I love the vegan community and all the good we are doing together.

The way I give back to my community is by providing free cookies for fundraising to nonprofits. I do this at no change. Donations are welcomed. Contact me for more information. 

I became a vegan after watching a short video showing how animals are tortured and killed. I was horrified. It really woke me up. I was prompted to do more research and haven't looked back since. I've been vegan for 6 months. Once I decided to go vegan for the animals, I made a decision to focus on my health. I've lost 10 pounds so far and I'm building healthy muscle. I recommend this lifestyle to anyone who wants to do something amazing for the animals, the planet and for their health. 

Social Media

YouTube: Natural Vegan Mama

Instagram: naturalveganmama

Blog: https://naturalveganmamablog.wordpress.com/

Email: naturalveganmama@gmail.com

FEATURE: Nina C. Brewton

The idea of going vegan was never something that I imagined as being realistic considering my urban, Midwestern upbringing. I, like many other African-Americans, had grown up with the thinking that a vegan lifestyle was a luxury - exclusive to white culture and unrealistic to the life I lived in one of the growing food deserts of Wichita, KS. 

In the early 2000s, I became a vegetarian after seeing a documentary about the treatment of animals by commercial “farming”. I was disgusted by what I saw but after four years, I backslid to pescatarian…back to beef and eventually back to eating pork, lamb, deer and meat altogether. As tragic as the killing of animals is, it wasn’t something that truly impacted my heart or moved me to commit to standing for the ethical treatment of animals. 

Even today, the decision to adopt a vegan lifestyle came, not from the typical support of animal rights, but by the need to receive healing from uterine fibroids. After five years and two procedures to remove a few fibroids that were more troublesome (the initial one weighing two pounds), doctors insisted they didn't know what caused fibroids and that they would always plague my life.

In July 2015, after being told that I would need to undergo myomectomy to remove another tumor, I could no longer ignore the tugging at my heart to change my lifestyle. God spoke directly to me saying, "You will be healed by your obedience." It was during this time that I set a goal to be eating a fully vegan diet by the beginning of September. From there, I began learning about the effects of meats and phytoestrogens on the female reproductive system and studying what foods are necessary to continue improving my health. 

Nearly a year after fully transitioning to vegan, I have seen vast improvements to my feminine wellness and overall health. Just this past week, my husband and I received word from our life insurance company that my premium was literally cut in HALF because of my improved health.

My health continues to improve since my newfound love affair with food. I've always enjoyed cooking but learning about new ingredients and cooking from scratch even more has changed my view of food in an unexpected way. My whole relationship with food has changed. 

Falling in love with both the art and science of food is much like our interpersonal relationships. Both relationships require conscious effort and great care to not only taste good but to be good for us!

There's Love to be found in the food we eat! Find yours and love yourself enough to embrace it!

Social Media

Instagram: @vegannewbiestillafoodie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nina.brewton

Be Inspired FB: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1650547268566881?ref=bookmarks#_=_

Website: www.webethelight.com

Twitter: @vegannewfoodie

FEATURE: Josue Joseph

I went vegan because it was the logical next step. It was how I would finally become the best version of myself. I had not come to realize that love was the answer to the world's problems but most people do not know what true love is. Neither did I. So, I wanted to find true love. I wanted to finally be able to love myself FOR REAL. Because it is in LOVING yourself, TRULY LOVING yourself, that you will finally be able to love others. 

I stopped littering and did more recycling. I started watching videos on YouTube about veganism that blew my mind. It was then that I realized it was time to fight for the planet, even if it meant that I would be condemned for it. At first, I did not eat enough, but as time went on and I kept learning, all I do is eat now. 

A lot of my friends support me but have not been able to make the connection. Some love that I have the strength to do it and wish they had it themselves, and others just straight up think I am crazy. My aunt Danielle and Uncle Alain, though they were always cool, are now vegan as well. #Onehappylife. The rest of the family, well most of them, love to make fun of me but its all good. There is usually no food for me at family events or work events but each year it gets better and this is a fight worth fighting for. There are also plenty of other vegans out there and we are friendly.

We gotta talk about the animals though. They do not deserve what is happening to them. They never did anything to us. Even though their numbers are higher than us they do not try to harm us. They simply just plead for their lives and hope that someone hears their cries. Well I hear them crying and I will fight for them. We simply plead that you hear their cries as well fellow #Earthling.

Veganism is not a white thing. Thinking there are "white" things is the problem. We all gotta do this. We all gotta start loving each other. We are #EARTHLINGS. The way these animals are being treated is no different than how our ancestors were treated. How dare we not speak up for them? We know their pain, we know their struggles. We are equal to them. They are our friends and we look out for our friends. 

FEATURE: Daisy Rey

My name is Daisy and I’m a French photographer here is NYC. I’m specialized in Portraiture of all kind, commercial,  and I am also the owner of Littlegypsystudios.com. It’s a photographer agency that covers all aspects of photography services.

My background is French, Polish from my dad and Ivory Coast in Africa from my mom. I was born there and moved to France when I was 4 years old. Since my dad was still working there I used to spend all my vacation in Abidjan.

I’ve been a vegan for one year now and I absolutely love and embrace this lifestyle. It just happened to me, I never planned on becoming one. To be honest, more than a year ago, I didn’t even really pay attention to the fact that what I ate could harm animals or my health. I was like most people conditioned by what society told us.

I’m a huge animal lover and I live with two cats. I have also been meditating for 2 years! I sit in silence 20 minutes every morning. (I wonder sometimes if this didn’t lead me to realize that meat was not natural and good for me).

So a year ago (May 2015) after the Winter, my body didn't feel good and I had an urge to be more healthy. Indeed I was always ordering food like pizzas, burgers, or fries. I would rarely cook. That day, I decided to eat a salad so I prepared my own salad and added chicken. 

It was the first time in my life, when I was eating that chicken, that I didn’t appreciate the taste of it. I left these pieces on the side and decided to go to the supermarket and pack my fridge with lots of fruits and vegetables. For three weeks I never ate or bought a piece of meat but was still eating fish every now and then. I was also making green smoothies with my brand new blender until I became very busy with work and couldn’t buy my fish for ten days. When I went back to the supermarket, a month had already passed where I ate no meat and didn't consume fish for ten days. In the aisle, while waiting to buy some fish, it was the FIRST time ever I looked at the display differently. For me it was not a product anymore, but dead food!! I never had this feeling before. So I went back home with just my veggies, rice, and beans and realized at that exact moment that I was becoming a vegan.

Since I didn’t know much about it I decided to look on the internet and get information on how to live healthy on this diet and IF it was healthy actually. I realized that yes it was even more healthy than a "regular" American diet. I also watched a lot of videos on Youtube until I found  the documentary EARTHLINGS.

This was a shock and I cried all night long. I was traumatized by realizing the suffering of these poor animals just for our taste. That night I promised myself that I would never ever touch a piece of meat or any animal product.

It’s been a year now and I can say that I feel amazing. People around me noticed a change and keep saying how great I look and how my skin is glowing. I’m also more calm, happy and positive in my life.

As a photographer I made the decision that I would never photograph or promote any fur and I try to avoid leather. I tend to educate people in fashion and around me about veganism without making them feel like they are horrible people because I’ve noticed that this is not the best way to get them on our side. Instead I show them all the benefits of this lifestyle and I just let them observe how I am and how I feel. When I have the opportunity I give them some information or a documentary to watch. More and more people are listening and this makes me so happy. I also buy makeup and products that are cruelty free. 

I wouldn't consider myself as an activist yet but I do what I can on my level. I photographed a march to end all the slaughterhouses last month while I was on vacation in LA. It was on Hollywood Blvd. Here's is a photo from it.

You can follow Daisy Rey HERE:

Website: daisyrey.com 

Twitter: @dezyland

Instagram: daisyrey_photography

Facebook: Daisy Rey

Sunday News Roundup

Aph Ko and Christopher Sebastian McJetters Interviewed by ARZone

In preparation for the UK's first ever Pro-Intersectional vegan conference, ARZone (hosted by Carolyn Bailey and Dr. Roger Yates) is featuring a series of interviews with activists who will speaking at the conference. The series asks activists what intersectionality means to them. To listen to Sebastian's interview, click HERE. To listen to Aph's interview, click HERE. 

Black Vegans at Animal Rights Conference 2016

The Animal Rights Conference recently took place in Los Angeles, CA. Check out David Carter's photo featuring some prominent vegans of color who attended. 

VegNews Vegan Cruise Giveaway 

To celebrate reaching 500k likes on Facebook, VegNews is giving away a vegan cruise for two! Read more HERE. 

Williams Sisters Win Wimbledon Doubles Final

The Williams sisters won their 6th Wimbledon Doubles Title. Some folks don't know that Venus Williams is actually a raw vegan. McCarton Ackerman writes:

"Competing in only their third tournament together since the 2014 US Open, Venus and Serena rallied from a break down by going on a four-game run to capture the opening set."

'A Privileged Vegan' Features Samantha Bailey

Samantha Bailey talks about how she worked with her community to create an African-centered vegan homeschool out of her living room in Brooklyn.

Sistah Vegan Anthology Volume II--Call For Papers

Dr. Breeze Harper will be organizing and editing a sequel to Sistah Vegan! She is seeking Black identified vegan women who employ tenets of ahimsa-based veganism through intersectional justice. She is accepting critical essays, poems, or narratives of no more than 6000 words. Read more about the guidelines and deadlines HERE. 

New Black-Owned Vegan Restaurant Opens up In Louisville, KY

NOLAFARE is a new vegan, organic, gluten-free, soy-free restaurant founded by Adriena Dame and Julia Crittendon. Check it out HERE. 

FEATURE: Nai Davina

Nai Davina co-runs Back 2 Roots which is an organization where she teaches young people to accept and love themselves through arts, travel, media and culture, highlighting the positive aspects of our history. She is also a registered and certified yoga teacher and astrology consultant, assisting others on their journey to self evolution. She is based in Manchester, England.   

My name is Nai (Naomi) and becoming vegan? Well that was a journey, a very isolating but super rewarding one. Being a dancer/teacher at the time and understanding the importance of what was going on in my body should have been the main reason for this revolutionary movement taking place inside me. But it wasn’t.

It all started on a trip to Egypt. I was reading a book at the time which spoke on particular foods that are harmful to people from black and ethnic backgrounds, and also discussed the principles of a yogic lifestyle, something i was very attracted to since one of my passions was to become a yoga teacher and to incorporate what I do with young people and my peers into my daily work regime, organically. My mother became really ill from a young age and watching her experience made me even more health conscious. Between the knowledge I gained as well as being on such an amazing highly energetic part of the earth, I had a light bulb moment.

Although it was a physical, mental, and spiritual transition, I found something in my later stages that made this transition very easy for me. The effects it was having on our globe, the state of the food industry and the impacts of what was taking place in these slaughter houses helped me to become vegan.

I planned to cut meat out of my diet for one week which was more for a cleansing exercise I was doing. Nine years later and I’m proudly writing this for Black Vegans Rock!

What a liberating feeling it is to let go of something I knew was no good for me and that everyone was telling me was just a phase. A couple months into my transition the questioning started, and yet I was aware that these questions and statements made no sense but at the time they were questions I didn’t confidently have answers to. All I knew was that it felt as though there was a switch in me that permanently went off...almost like it wasn’t even my call. All urges and cravings for meat, chicken, fish, dairy and even sugar disappeared. I stepped into a new world and my whole perspective on life changed.

I’ve made room in my body and life and the energy I embody is super charged. My body is in its natural flow. The bounce in my step has way more spring than before, my nervous system makes sure my immunity is on point and them skin issues, well they packed up and left.

My kitchen and I became best friends. I love creating dishes that leave an essence of compete satisfaction. No meat necessary! Even Grandma loves a nice Vegan Caribbean Saturday Soup every now and again.
 

Here is a video from Nai's organization "Back 2 Roots":

FEATURE: Adrienne Doggan

Being vegan was something I never thought I would even imagine adjusting to, let alone including in my social media bios to describe myself. But let me say it has been an amazing and life-changing learning experience! My vegan journey began when my mother suggested the lifestyle about 5 years ago when I was a senior in high school.

We would watch the depressingly horrific documentaries about slaughterhouses as well as the one about how fast food makes your health decline. We attempted to try veganism and failed a few times over the years. Then, after we put all of our research together from articles and books and various vegan documentaries, we realized it wasn't so difficult and the transition was necessary for our life's longevity. We just decided to "be about it" and stop just talking about it.

My mother and I have been vegan since February 2015, so we're newbies in the game. I've gained so many cooking skills! Vegan life will require lots of smart grocery shopping and cooking, I will say that. It's fun trying all the different vegetables and spices with all this vegan food that is new to my diet. I originally decided to go vegan because I wanted to lose weight consistently and maintain it. But that quickly became less and less of my inspiration after learning about all the health benefits and environmental benefits as well. One thing I can say for any aspiring vegan is to just do it! Anything in life becomes more simple after you attempt to do it, so just do it! 

LINKS

Blog website: http://adrienneislove.com 

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