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Why My Veganism Is A Celebration Of Blackness

I know that vegans have something of a reputation. And that scrolling through Instagram and Twitter feeds, you could be forgiven for concluding that all vegans do yoga and that vegans are super skinny and that vegans are... white. So to be Black and vegan is to make a disconnect from Black culture... right? Not exactly, not in my case anyway.

 

In my journey from a Standard American Diet (SAD) to becoming a vegan in the UK, I have made connections with a community of progressive Black people from all over the world. I’ve learned about ingredients and traditional cooking methods that I’d never explored before. And I’ve schooled myself on the foods and nutrients that keep me healthy and happy.

 

I was born in the States in the 1980s. I grew up drinking Kool-Aid by the gallon and thinking that even though it had half a sack of sugar in it, you could still call it nutritious because the packet said it also had vitamin C. I was outta my mind happy to have my sixth birthday party at a McDonald's. In high school, I ate pot noodles on the daily. My mom worked full time and would cook when she could, but when she didn’t, we’d have frozen corn dogs or microwave dinners. KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King, purple soda - I grew up eating all that stuff. But it’s not real food, and it wasn't doing me any good.