Black and Vegan: Why so many Black Americans are embracing the plant-based life
During the Civil Rights Movement, many Black activists chose veganism, connecting animal rights to the larger fight for liberation.
VIDYA RAO: The art of vegan cooking isn’t new to communities of color, with Indian, Middle Eastern and African cuisines offering vegan dishes — just without the label. Even most Southern dishes have plant-based roots, as Black people who were enslaved cultivated and cooked ingredients they were familiar with, like rice, sorghum, okra, yams and black eyed peas, which were brought over from Africa.
“There’s always been this river of Black folks who have been pioneers in veganism next to the wider ocean of folks who are omnivores,” said Tracye McQuirter, nutritionist and author of “Ageless Vegan” and “By Any Greens Necessary.” “In West Africa, for generations, the food was primarily plant-based.”
During the Civil Rights Movement, many Black activists chose veganism, connecting animal rights to the larger fight for liberation. McQuirter became a vegan 34 years ago after seeing comedian and Civil Rights activist Dick Gregory speak about veganism.
“He traced the path of a hamburger from a cow on a factory farm through the slaughterhouse process, to a fast food restaurant, to a clogged artery, to a heart attack,” McQuirter recalled. “And for me, that kind of sealed the deal.”
As a student at Howard University in Washington DC in the late ‘80s, McQuirter said that the transition wasn’t difficult because even back then she was surrounded by a Black vegan community that boasted at least 13 Black-owned vegan restaurants.
Vegan food purveyors were always present at protests and other gatherings, she said. “People in the community chose to go vegan for all kinds of reasons — liberation reasons, spiritual reasons, health reasons — but they all just fit together.”
In 2020, McQuirter had a goal to help 10,000 Black women go vegan, providing them with a 14-day meal plan, a 54-page guidebook and workshops in celebration of the 10th anniversary of her book “By Any Greens Necessary,” which has been lauded for promoting veganism in the Black community. The program had almost 15,000 women sign up.
Her biggest tip? “Don’t approach veganism with a sense of lack and deprivation; approach it with a sense of abundance.” It’s clear there’s a hunger for vegan flavors and cooking techniques that satisfy diverse palates and don’t skimp on seasoning. SOURCE…
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