black vegans get no love?

December 6, 2006 at 3:00 am | In Black Folks, Culture, Vegan |

the article below is almost 4 years old, but i found it (only recently) relevant. i’ve truncated it to highlight certain points, but you can read the whole article (and other cool ones) in this sister’s online column. enjoy!

The Soul of Holistic Health -02.01.03 - by: Nicole D. Sconiers

Black vegans get no love. We’re shunned at dinner parties, given mistrustful glances on buffet lines and never asked to contribute to the church potluck. I’ve been told more than a few times that my eating habits are “bourgeois,” as if the deletion of meat and dairy from my diet has somehow placed me in a culinary caste system.

… A good friend hipped me to the “Fit for Life” nutritional principles and I adapted a strict vegan regimen to lose fifty pounds. As soon as I took charge of my health, a state of wholeness–physically, spiritually and emotionally–set in.

Once I embarked on this journey into nutrition and wellness, I became hungrier for more knowledge. I went searching for kinship and community and I found both in Dr. Nathan Rabb, a naturopathic doctor and trailblazer in the holistic health field…He caught my attention because his theme song is the psychedelic Curtis Mayfield classic “Junkie Chaser” …But I would soon discover that junkie chaser is an apt description for the work Dr. Rabb is doing in his neighborhood–trying to rid it of the dietary monkeys riding the backs of many blacks.

“Our community suffers greatly because of slave mentality diets,” Dr. Rabb tells me. I’m sitting in his Inglewood office and we kick holistic ballistics for a few hours. A Huey Newton of natural health, Dr. Rabb is passionate about educating people on nutrition. One of the main things we mull over is why blacks seem so reluctant to embrace alternative ways of eating.

“We hold on to traditions,” laments Dr. Rabb. “We still want to eat chitlins on New Years, and we attach that with something that’s supposed to be good luck. I don’t know how it can be good luck when you’re eating waste”.

…A lot of this waste has translated into higher incidences of illness and cardiovascular disease, which is the number one killer of African-Americans. …I’m all for more soul in this holistic health movement. Maybe once African Americans start revolutionizing our dietary habits will we experience a greater level of wellness. Who knows? Maybe even Trader Joe’s and Wholefoods will start opening up shop in our neighborhoods. Maybe the term “black vegan” won’t be viewed as an oxymoron along the lines of “military intelligence.” Whatever the outcome of our mobilization, as Dr. Rabb points out, “the ultimate goal is to eradicate ignorance, illness and disease. Ignorance is number one; it makes more people sick than anything.”

peep the rest of The Soul of Holistic Health and other articles by Nicole D. Sconiers at [Dysfunctional Diva Diatribe]

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hey maurice,
this article is very interesting and true. alot of people who do not understand the concept of being a vegan or vegetarian (non-dairy, non-meat) feel that you are crazy. but once you get to taste the variety of food choices available to you, then and only then will you began to understand. i know that i am in between now, but i have given up alot of foods and food preparations from back in the day. and to no suprise - the food has tasted better. i used to be concerned about you and what you were eating - especially getting in enough of the essential and non-essential aminos. i am proud to see how you have educated yourself to give your body all that it needs to survive - what to eat before a sports event. wow! oatmeal has been eased aside (smile). i love brown, which i never imagined i would say; that and cooking with 75% less margerine ( including soy garden) i am watching sodium, fat, protein, carbs, fiber and sugar as never before. and james is reading about more health issues and bringing them home for me to read - this is a man that only knew sweet peas as a vegetable now he knows that is a starch veggie.

i keep shaimiq aware of how much sugar intake he should have and i’m using more brown sugar. i am trying to work with crystal on not using white bread with shaimiq. something is happening because she finally found a whole wheat bread she likes honey oat. maybe now shaimiq will start to get some brown bread (smile) - you know your sister, if she doesnot like she will not give it to shaimiq smile. but you know me, when he is with me i am boosting the wheat not enriched either.

i am seriously baking vegan sweet potatoe cheese cake this weekend. i will go to the healthfood store on the junction to see if they have the vegan cream cheese, ok?

mommy is getting tired. i will e-mail you later. oh yeah, i sent auntie von the website info. look out for her anytime. i told her she can leave a comment. my son - the vegan man. mchana!

Comment by mommy — December 7, 2006 #
Great post! Great blog. Glad I found it cuz I thought I was the only one.

Comment by Blok — March 13, 2008 #
thanks for visiting blok…you are not alone…lol

Comment by blactivegan — March 14, 2008 #
As a new convert to veganism I feel enlightened and calm. I am satisfied with less food and can and don’t have the fuzzy thinking I used to. 32 days vegan and still counting.

Comment by carla — July 7, 2008 #
great site….an important issue that is all too often overlooked in our community. reassuring to someone is talking bout this and practicing…

Comment by Dominique — July 7, 2008 #