Hello Meltingpot Readers,
I’m not a vegan, nor am I a vegetarian, but I’ve been flirting with the idea of becoming a vegetarian for the last few years. It seems like more and more people I know are choosing a plant-based lifestyle, so I find myself researching the idea with more seriousness.
Today, I fell down a rabbit hole of vegan investigations, beginning with a Google search on the Atlanta-based restaurant, Slutty Vegan. By the time I finished reading about this vegan burger and fries joint, I was ready to book a flight to Atlanta to try one myself.
One of the recurring themes that I kept coming across in my research though, was this idea that only white wealthy people are vegans and people of color are lagging behind in this trend. Of course, this is not really the case. In fact, I kept discovering more and more vegans of color who are making a name for themselves in the world of vegan cuisine, but also in the world of evangelizing veganism’s health and environmental benefits. So, yeah, whitewashing in the world of veganism exists.
Lucky for me …and you, there have been plenty of articles written about the intersection of race and veganism, so I’ll just leave a few links here for you to read.
The “Vegan Race Wars”
Start with this 2018 article on the Vegan Race Wars from Thrillist to understand the backstory of racial strife in the vegan community. Then, hop on over to this story from Self magazine that highlights 10 Vegans of Color you should know about, and it also explains why it is important for vegans of color to be recognized and supported in a world that wants to erase their contributions to the cause. Finally, for inspiration and more information about what a vegan lifestyle looks like for people of color, check out these Seven Instagram Accounts by Vegans of Color from VegNews.
I’d love to know if I have any vegan readers in the Meltingpot community. Have you been a lifelong vegan? If not, what made you decide to take the plunge? Also, got any recipes to share? I’m listening!
Peace!
