My whole life I have been surrounded by meat and meat products. Around October 2015 I transitioned to a vegetarian (with intentions of eventually withdrawing from all animal byproducts and slowly going vegan) and an overall plant based lifestyle. While this doesn’t seem like that big of a deal (being vegetarian, or vegan specifically is all the rage these days) there are a plethora of conflicts because of my identity. As an African American or person of color in general being vegetarian is not as accepted as it should be. We face a variety of issues that white vegans/vegetarians do not have to deal with.
In my first few days as a vegetarian the initial response to my decision was “Why are you doing this?!” or “What are you even going to eat?” my family took to immediate concern about my health (I’m anemic and plants obviously don’t offer as much protein in one serving as their meaty counterparts), they thought I was going on a diet or had an eating disorder, they also thought I was trying to distance myself from black culture. Despite the fact I wasn’t trying to partake in of these theories they were certainly startled and thought the change was due to an outside factor and something other than my own choice. They assumed my anemia would get worse from abolishing meat (it did not). They moreover thought that the transition wouldn’t last. They assumed I was doing something to fit in and that after a week I would return to our chicken dinners. Jumping from one conclusion to the next they tried to find some rational behind my resolution and they could not. This was a choice I made for myself, my health, and a step to helping the planet.
What an abundance of vegans/vegetarians of color could rant to anyone about is the constant struggle of being reminded of your culture and the food that comes with it. I know from experience how meat and meat products are tied into African American culture. Only given the scraps to eat when they were slaves, my ancestors made a tasty meal out of nearly nothing. Although we have surpassed slavery the food is still a tradition in a majority of black households. Every time I go to a cookout there’s a plethora of chicken, burgers and hot dogs. Side dishes like macaroni and cheese, gravy or collard greens could have bacon drippings or ham hocks cooked with them. It’s incredibly exhausting to avoid and even more draining having to hear about. While I would never scold my family over consuming meat (probably because I’d have the taste buds smacked my mouth from my mom) I am ridiculed for “distancing myself from my history” and trying to “be white”.
Food is a part of our culture but it can be evolved. And we can make alternatives regarding our health. Often times I have to cook for myself because my family is unsure of what I can and cannot eat. I must shop for myself also. I want my family to be happy with what they eat as well as myself but I also want to them to be more open-minded about new ways to cook and healthier options since we do have access to those. I am taunted for missing out on tasty foods I use to consume. All of my meals are frowned upon as if having a healthy meal and taste is impossible. It is insanely frustrating.
This isn’t to say that despite not consuming meat and limiting my dairy and egg consumption that I don’t miss the taste. It’s hard out here ok? Not wanting to have chickens killed but craving the taste of them every once in a while? The struggle is real. I refuse to break my lifestyle for an occasional stray, but I do miss the flavors of the food from my childhood. Substitutes never do the real dish justice.
And then there’s twitter. Ah, social media, the land of all things informative and welcoming right? Wrong. On a daily basis I see white vegans fighting with people of color on my timeline. There seems to be a near constant contest of animal cruelty to the enslavement of black people, mistreatment and abuse of Hispanic worker, etc. from one herbivore to another hear me when I say this: STOP COMPARING MY ANCESTOR’S OPPRESSION TO ANIMALS, THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING. Animals do have rights whether they can vouch for them or not, but the hundreds of years of slavery my ancestors had to endure? Stop. The. Comparison.
My lifestyle change is everlasting. My struggles come from not having the support that other vegans/vegetarians have. I miss my food, family dinners, the convenience, and the culture. I’ll never resent my family for their dietary choices and definitely don’t expect them to conform to mine. We can still interact and experiment (and maybe one day collaborate) and I love my family and my people for this. Being a vegan/vegetarian of color is in a far different realm from just being a white vegan and comes with countless struggles.
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