Why white vegans like me should listen to black veganism
Black veganism matters
By Adam Robert — Guest written for ‘Whatabout Veganism?’
Since the horrific killing of George Floyd at the knee of a US police officer, there have been widespread and justified calls for white people to educate ourselves about structural racism. This is no less urgent for white vegans, like myself, who must look at the way we promote our veganism as well as other aspects of our lives.
Contrary to the whitewashed image of veganism that is generally portrayed in society, veganism has a long history in communities of colour. The term ‘black veganism’ was coined by Aph and Syl Ko and invites us to celebrate this history as well as offering new racially informed approaches to veganism. Here’s three reasons why white vegans should listen:
1. To ensure white vegans don’t erase people of colour from the image of veganism
To listen to most white vegans (including myself), you’d think veganism started with white philosophers such as Peter Singer and Gary Francione. But veganism and vegetarianism have diverse roots, including of course in Buddhism and Jainism, but also in black political and religious culture, such as in Rastafarianism and the Nation of Islam, which both promote vegetarianism.
There are also many influential black vegans who are too often erased from the image of veganism. Vegans like civil rights activist Angela Davis, who reminds us that “the abuse of animals is a direct consequence of global capitalism”. Dr King’s son Dexter Scott King, and his late wife Coretta Scott King, also became vegans under the influence of fellow civil rights activist Dick Gregory, who applied the philosophy of non-violence to non-human animals. In turn, Dick influenced Tracye McQuirter, whose book ‘By Any Greens Necessary’ is a key part of the black vegan movement.
Tracye McQuirter devoted her career to researching and promoting the health benefits of vegan food. Her work has been one of the key triggers for a largely health focused embrace of veganism among many African Americans, as well as being used as a tool to highlight racial inequalities in the availability of healthy food. In the UK, the rapper and poet Akala promotes a health-focused approach to veganism influenced by Rastafarian culture.
2. To avoid perpetuating racial oppression through vegan advocacy
In a must-read article entitled ‘The Complexities of Being Black, British, and Vegan’, Wedaeli Chibelushi notes that “the Veganoso Twitter account (67,800 followers) once posted a meme comparing a black man being hung from a tree in 1815 with a pig being hung from a tree in 2015”. This is just one example of a common and extremely problematic theme in vegan advocacy where animal agriculture is directly compared to human slavery. Amongst many black vegans, this can create feelings of extreme discomfort towards mainstream veganism.
3. To avoid missing key links between racism and the oppression of animals
In their book Aphro-ism, Aph and Syl Ko argue that the idea of the animal as we know it today is informed by white supremacy. They say that although the oppression of animals came before colonialism, the race hierarchy made during colonialism came to define how we saw non-human animals. Ultimately people of colour and animals were put in the same category by the colonialist mindset, set apart from the idealised vision of the superior white man. This makes ‘animal’ a racialised term whose role is to strip a being of its value. This makes it crucial that veganism should be informed by an understanding of racism.
For these reasons and more, white vegans need to listen to black veganism. The alternative is to risk perpetuating racial oppression through our activism, and harming the cause of veganism for the animals and for everyone else.
