I finally went vegan at 11 years old after wanting to for many years and I think it was the best decision I ever made. The philosophies and practices of veganism, animal rights, and anti-speciesism have been a catalyst that pushed me into understanding the multidimensional oppressions of our world – as well as our collective need for liberation. Now, at 16 years old (at the time of writing in 2022), I have launched and directed three organizations – two of which are animal rights related; have a published book; run courses and workshops; and regularly write, theorize and speak about the interconnected ways of speciesism, anti-Blackness, white supremacy, ageism, anti-queerness and so much more. You can learn about all of this on my website and Instagram: www.aiyanagoodfellow.com | @aiyana.goodfellow
FEATURE: Michael Ofe
Michael Ofei is one half of the passionate couple behind The Minimalist Vegan, a popular global media platform that helps people find the balance between eating well and living mindfully. They post two posts a week on simplicity, minimalism, veganism as well as delicious plant-based recipes. Their work is constantly featured on large wellness websites, including Food Matters, Loving Earth, and One Green Planet.
Michael's vegan journey began a few years ago when he watched the life-changing documentary called EARTHLINGS. The main premise of the film is that all beings are Earthlings and should therefore act compassionately towards each other.
Prior to EARTHLINGS, Michael had not made the connection between what he put in his body and where it came from. Though he was raised in Australia, his heritage lies in West Africa and he has grown up accustomed to consuming animal products without considering the impact it had on others. Once he saw the truth, it was hard to un-see it.
Michael is now dedicated to spreading the message of veganism in conjunction with minimalism. He sees a direct correlation between the two lifestyles as they collectively symbolize mindful living - being mindful of how our decisions impact animals, our environment, our health, and our wellbeing.
If you're interested in connecting, you can find more of Michael and Masha's work over at The Minimalist Vegan.
FEATURE: Nash
I come from a huge meat-eating family. BBQs (braii) are like a religion for us. We would wake up early, drive to the Zimbabwean butcher in Southampton, and we would go home with the best quality meats. The men would huddle around the braii and the women would be making salads and other dishes to complement the meat feast. The atmosphere was just euphoric: all day drinking, listen to Oliver Mtukudzi or Jah Prayzah…It was a good time all round.
You’re probably wondering why I even turned to veganism when I was clearly so happy eating meat. Well, as with all stories of change, it begins with falling in love (kinda, not really).
I have been in love with my partner for 13 years. We met when I was 17 and we were best friends. At 22, we broke up. I hated him, I loved him, and I felt sorry for myself. I moved to a different country in a bid to move on and find myself. Once I felt I was sufficiently over him, I returned to gloomy England, only to see him and realize I was definitely not over him. We got back together and…I digress. The point is that he is vegetarian, and so is his entire family.
My partner is quietly vegetarian. He never talks about it and he never judges anyone who isn’t. He has never eaten meat and has no plans to do so. He made being vegetarian look simple.
The real impetus was I just started seeing animals differently. I am still on the journey to unpack what this means to me, but as I’m doing that, I don’t want to eat meat or any products derived from meat.
After over-indulging during lockdown and winding up in several food comas over the Christmas period, I made a vow to go vegan for two months and to give up alcohol for 6 months. I created an Instagram page to keep me motivated and also to follow other vegans for inspiration and advice given I knew virtually nothing about being vegan!
I have sought out other Black vegans on social media but this has not been easy. I am grateful to Black Vegans Rock because I have just started following people from this page for inspiration.
Being vegan has been super fun and a great and exciting adventure. I have eaten the most delicious food and I have made food I never thought I was capable of making. Once I took meat out of the equation, it allowed me to stretch my imagination and create wonderful meals. I also had inspiration from vegan cooks/chefs on Instagram and I am truly grateful for this.
Eating vegan food has been easier than I thought and I haven’t missed meat. I am in the process of trying to find vegan alternatives to my favorite meals and I am enjoying the challenge.
I am always searching for new recipes and before I went vegan I used to love oxtail curry with rice and peas so if you have a vegan alternative, I will love you forever.
Social Media:
Instagram: @clueless_host
FEATURE: Clara Holmes
I became vegan five years ago after being a vegetarian for 17 years. I went on holiday and upon my return, I decided to have a four week vegan detox, which was also gluten-free. Being vegetarian I didn't find the diet difficult since I was a vegetarian, and enjoyed feeling more energized. At the end of the detox, I decided I would be part-time vegan - vegan and gluten free at home and eat vegetarian foods and gluten when I was out. However, when I tried this approach, I felt the difference, big time! I felt more lethargic and lacking in energy with longer recovery times and even more joint pain.
I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which is an inherited connective tissue disorder. It's a very painful condition, I am in pain all of the time. The more I do, the more pain I am in and I have been a full-time wheelchair user for over 14 years now. I noticed by eating a plant based diet, my recovery times were quicker and I feel I have more energy both physically and mentally. It was then I decided to become plant based and gluten free full-time. In the years that followed, I not only became plant-based, I became vegan. I stopped wearing leather, feathers, silk and wool.
For me, it's more than just a diet…it's a lifestyle that i benefit from physically and mentally. Regardless of the pain that comes with my condition, I feel amazing and I feel wide awake.
SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE:
FEATURE: Shaun Louis
Hey, my name’s Shaun Louis, I'm a father of two and the owner of Your Vegan Journey.
My own personal vegan journey was a long time coming. As someone who grew up as a vegetarian, I often questioned some aspects of that diet.
For example, why is it ok to eat a chicken’s eggs when I’ve made a choice not to eat chicken?
Sure, it’s “allowed” when you look into what vegetarians can and can’t eat. And I chose to be vegetarian when I was 7 years old. But did this definition still make sense to me as a grown man?
So, I started excluding eggs for my diet, but never really went further than that until a couple of years later.
I randomly saw an “Anonymous For The Voiceless” demonstration when out with my wife one day. Here were people who not only made the choice to personally not consume any animal related products, but were also helping others discover the realities of consuming animal products.
This is the single biggest thing that helped bring me clarity over the doubts I had around my vegetarian diet.
I would love to say I was vegan from that day forward, but it wasn't that simple.
It ended up taking around 6 months for me to break old habits, cravings, and build new ones (so I’m not caught hungry and surrounded by shops with no vegan options available). But, as of January 2019, I’ve been 100% vegan and have solidified my belief system enough where I know that this isn't a fad.
My sister also turned vegan around a year before me, and having that support really helped my transitioning process. Unfortunately though, I know not everyone has that support around them, and many even have loved ones actively discouraging them from being vegan.
This is why I have Your Vegan Journey - to help those who are going through that transitioning phase to help support their switch to a healthier and more ethical lifestyle.
Right now things are just at the beginning. I plan to offer more support through the site via different types of educational and motivational articles, as well as potential tools in future. I want to offer anything that can help make people’s vegan journey’s that much simpler.
I also plan on getting involved with Anonymous For The Voiceless, Surge, and other peaceful movements when the c19 situation calms down. I love the idea of having those face-to-face talks with people, and helping them understand why a vegan lifestyle is best for the animals, the environment, and your health.
Web Pages:
Website: Your Vegan Journey
FEATURE: Kiya
My name is Kiya. I am from Long Island, NY and December 31st will be three years since I have stopped eating meat. This journey has shaped the entire purpose of my YouTube channel and Instagram page called Vegans And Ventures. The platform’s purpose is to show all things vegan, where I can learn and teach others.
This is actually my second time taking a vegan journey. The first time was in high school when my teacher (who was vegan) showed the class a video on how they make the meat we eat. Seeing the process made my heart weak and right after that class, I stopped eating meat for three months.
Looking back, I didn’t know what I was doing because I went pescatarian and didn’t even know anything about it. I didn’t even know anything about the term vegan or vegetarian - I just knew I couldn’t eat the meat after seeing that video. This time, I ended up on the journey because my cousin started her journey and asked me to do it with her. So, in December 2017, I started again.
This journey has taught me so much. I am learning how to understand my body. I can literally be hungry or weak, but I understand my body wants greens like avocado or even fruits, and once I eat it my body feels rejuvenated and full on energy. It has taught me things about fruits that I never knew, like some fruits can be used to generate electrical currents.
This journey has also made me look more into my own community as far as why being vegan is considered a “white thing”, which I had kind of agreed with considering when I first started my journey I knew nothing about it. This time around, I feel like it is not just a “white thing”, but a human thing. I’ve met so many beautiful black vegans with their own businesses thats either work from their homes or have an official space. I feel like the Black vegan community has not only been discovered (because its been here for a while), but I feel like it is expanding. Social media has a huge impact on this generation. Therefore, in July 2019, I asked my friend Josh to help me start making YouTube videos where we go to vegan restaurants to promote healthy eating.
I also wanted viewers to see that vegan food is right in our neighborhoods and it is made by OUR people. I want people’s minds to be blown and expanded just like mine was while I was on this journey. I personally don’t plan to go back to eating meat because the growth that I’ve experienced mentally, physically, and spiritually has only encouraged me to continue.
Web Pages:
YouTube:Vegans and Ventures
IG: @VegansAndVentures
FEATURE: Chantele Jones
Hey - my name is Chantele Jones. I’m a wife, mother to three young ladies, and cookbook author. I’ve always been passionate about cooking but never thought that a business would come from it, initially.
For years, I went back and forth between eating meat and then not eating meat, but my business came about after deciding to go vegetarian and then vegan.
In 2012, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease known as Hidradenitis Suppurativa; a chronic skin disease caused by inflammation inside the body. I would describe it as small pea sized lumps under the skin that when inflamed, become filled with fluid. It is extremely painful. They can develop anywhere there is hair and my scalp was affected the most.
Losing my hair and experiencing such extreme pain is what made me really get serious about my health and change my diet. As a result, I’ve been able to manage my HS condition without any medication or suggested surgery.
I’ve come to find that following a plant based diet can help with SO many common diseases and disorders in the body, yet it’s most often the last resort.
Through my catering and pop ups, my mission is to dispel the negative stereotypes associated with vegan cuisine. I also offer cooking classes to educate my community on the many benefits of plant based eating and to show how to prepare healthy delicious meals for themselves and their families.
SOCIAL MEDIA
IG: @estellascuisine
Website: estellascuisine.com
FEATURE: Lyssa Wade, aka Veggie Thumper
My skin is brown, my race is classified as black, and I’ve experienced 35 trips around the sun. Born and raised in Des Moines, my rebirth began with death. My dad died suddenly. During my sophomore year in college, I kind of hit rock bottom. I had been near rock bottom before, but I was young and did not have a child in tow at that time. This time was different. The days could be sunny, but my world remained dark. I had began a quest of eliminating processed and modified foods prior to my dad’s death in 2009. My dad did all of the cooking in the past, however, I had to learn how to feed a 23 year old me, my son, and my mom.
I have worked in restaurants since I was 16. Most of the ones I worked in during my later years were ones I couldn’t afford to eat at regularly and the processed food thing steered me away from them. During the summer of 2009, I planted flowers and brussels sprouts in the most random areas of the yard. But, they grew (almost three or four feet tall) and we ate them. I committed myself to growing a garden in the summer of 2010- the same year I graduated from Grand View with my B.A. in Mass Communication. and a minor in photography.
I took myself on a celebratory solo trip to Peru. I saw a lot of simple living and gratitude from the different areas I visited. On top of that, they grew their food. I saw simple and happy living and I wanted it.
After a month away from home, I returned and my garden was gorgeous! I saw abundance that started from a seed. I wondered what I would do with the seeds I had sown. I had to learn how to cook and eat them.
2010 was the beginning of meatless Mondays and heavily reduced meat in general. The more I learned about the food and water, the less of it I wanted. In 2011, I cut off around seven inches of my hair and began the process of locs. Cutting off most of your hair will teach you self-love quickly. You will experience the fugly stages and then the comfortable stages. That was the same year I decided to start making my own organic skin care, deodorant, body butters, and essential oil sprays. I was tired of being a guinea pig. Farmer Wade became Veggie Thumper.
In 2013, I attended a March against Monsanto. I eventually hosted my own march due to the World Food Prize being awarded to a biotech scientist. In 2014, some friends and I hosted an Iowa Right to Know rally, which taught the importance of victory gardens, food, chemicals, water, water storage, and how to be sustainable to reduce your food print. By this time I was nailing it in the vegetarian food world, however, there weren’t many places to eat at. So, while on RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) riding up a ridiculous hill with my food in tow, I decided I would get a food truck and do it myself, especially since Iowa is a meat and starch state.
On March 5th, 2016, I bought a school bus and drove it home. That bus taught me a lot about myself and the system. I invested my blood, sweat, tears, and every penny into that 35-foot school bus. I love that bus and the way I feel when I am in it. The energy is proper, the colors are warm and bright, and many people have had my back along the way while I’ve been piecing my dream together. Along the way to building my dream of doing pop-ups to fund the bus. I decided to go vegan and took the bus with me.
I create vegan organic locally sourced conscious cuisine - soul snacks to elevate consciousness through food awareness. My cuisine is intended to break the cycle of generational recipes steeped in the overconsumption of meat and to aid others in finding a better way to eat and grow the things we love with our health and the environment in mind. Veggie Thumper leads people to ask questions about their food: What is it? Where did it come from? How can a carrot become a hotdog? How can cauliflower become steak? How do mushrooms morph into bacon and how can vital wheat gluten become a platter of ribs?
I fell from the stars to shine light on communities I feel need to see and be the change. Fresh local produce isn’t available in the communities where there are high numbers of minorities; food from a can or box shouldn’t be normalized. Food deserts are abundant. That’s not the way of our ancestors. I grow snacks and I make ‘em too. Change isn’t easy - I know that. But, for the overlooked communities to thrive, we have to be able to do better together; looking at how we eat is a huge start. Offering food is away of showing love. Don’t act like you haven’t had a gathering and stayed in the kitchen chattin’ it up the whole time! I love you and I’ve never even met you, yet there’s love. In April 2019, I finally completed the bus and became fully licensed to make all the snacks my thumpin’ heart desires. Have a snack prepared with love and see what the conscious cuisine soul snack movement is all about. Peace, Love, n’ Veggies.
Social Media
Facebook: Veggie Thumper
Website: www.veggiethumper.com
Instagram: @veggiethumper