Update-

I know it has been awhile and I just want to put a note up letting all my readers know that I will be posting something soon. But I do have a few things I want to talk about since I have not being on my page in awhile.

Prop 2 - What a honor to be apart of history and now animals will be heard and I hope that this is the right direction we need to be going so that animals will be understand and not miss used. Prop 2 is great and I know I'm very happy about it success. But at the same time we must make sure that we continue to educate people in our communities about the importance of going veg or even just be more aware of how they are treating animals. For more information on learning about the mistreatment of animals look at Thanking the Monkey by Karen Dawn at 

www. thankingthemonkey.com 

Sincerely,

Black Veganism

The Foods That African Americans Eat

I know it's been while... Missed you.

The food we chose to eat as African American is slave food if you think about it. When I think about the collard greens w/ pork and the cornbread with eggs,milk, and lard all mixed inside I yell inside. I don't understand why we continue to Enslave ourselves voluntary when we could get the fruits and vegetables so we don't have obesity and high blood pressure killing our people. I feel that black people and other people of color should be fighting and protesting the lack of healthy foods in local grocery stores in "ghetto" neighborhoods. We should not continue to accept liquor stores on ever corner and continue to have Popeye's,Chinese restaurants, and other fast food places continue to poison our bodies. I want all people to wake up and understand that we can no longer sit around and act like we are doing our bodies any good with animal flesh and by products. You do not need these Chickens,Cows,Horse( yes people eat horse) to survive in the world. We are not natural born carnivores we are herbivores check it out.

Karen Dawn's- Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals

Thanking the Monkey is a amazing book and is Karen Dawn's first solo book. Dawn does a great job of showing us how we treat animals and the way they should be treated. Many people will not have the same reaction to reading this wonderful book as Dawn does not want you to feel bad. But she does want you to open your eyes and understand that you can do something to stop the killing and suffering of all animals. Karen Dawn has made the book fun to read and the pictures will keep you reading and the research is just amazing she has collected most of it from her website www.dawnwatch.com and it's just amazing. ( This is a great way to get involved in the movement through her website). Dawn's book is #1 on the amazon Animal Right's section and that's just amazing and when I found that out I order my friends each a copy from Amazon because she is doing great work. Make sure you get a copy of this wonderful at : www.amazon.com- type Thanking the Monkey

Donnie Smith

Black Vegan vs. Others

What do you feel is different about being black and vegan, as opposed to white, or perhaps another ethnicity? Do you feel more/less hostility from your family as a matter of ethnic culture?
-Drew- Thanks for this questions very important

Well I do believe there is a different between black and minority vegans compared to white vegans. Black and other minority vegan mostly come from cultures that veganism is something new and weird. I know when I went vegan the people I first met were white middle class vegans and felt it was wrong to kill animals. I feel the same way but the vegan world is so white that many minorities are always seen as trying to be "white" because they choose not to eat animal products. If you notice many group of minorities plates are usually food of meat and animal by products so it's so hard at times for the family to understand that you want to be healthy and save animals from cruel lives.

I know many white vegans and it can be hard for there families to understand why they are going vegan. But at the same time they have so many famous vegans who are white they can educate their families about who are healthy and living a great life without eating meat and any animal products. Let's take a look at literature when it comes to Veganism,Animal Rights. There is only one book written by a black woman about this topic and that was in 1989 - The Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slavery ( there may be more this is the only one I know of at the time). If you were asked to write a list of books written on the same issues from white authors you could probably write a very long list. This makes a very big difference and this makes me think about ways on how the black and minority vegfolk are going to change the way people are eating and treating animals.

I do feel that their is more pressure in the black community to eat meat and animal products. When I examine the plates at black social event's that are not vegan there is always so much meat and I don't meat like steak and veggies on the side. I mean the choices are usually meat and then you have the veggie ( collard greens with pork or smokey turkey for flavor) and rice and that usually will have some juice ( animal by-product to make it taste good) and then we make it to dessert cake ( contains,eggs, dairy, and other products). I do feel that in the black community there is more focus on making things taste good then how good it is for you.

Favorite Vegan Spots to Eat

Well I love answer this question because there are so many good places to eat. But here's my list of places I love to go in New York:

Atlas Café & Bakery
73 2nd Avenue
New York NY 10003

- This place is amazing because they have the largest selection of Vegan Treats located in Bethlehem, PA. They also have a great selection of vegan sandwiches and it's just amazing. I advise people who are on a budget and fine there self near Atlas go in a get a panini and a slice of cake for $12 or a cupcake and that will cut the piece a little.

Curly's Vegetarian Lunch
328 East 14th Street
New York NY 10003

- Curly's has the most amazing veggie burger with curly fries vegan everything of course and the cheese actually melts. They have everything that a new vegan would want to have after transition to veganism. They cost would not keep you from getting back on the train because you have no more money. A good meal from Curly's will cost you under $10.00 and they are really nice people.

Madras Café
79 2nd Avenue
New York NY 10003

- This place may look empty but the food is no joke. Everything here at Madras is vegetarian and they are so nice when you want something vegan. I have been here plenty of times and they treat me like family and the service is great. If you are in the area and really don't want to eat something from Atlas come to Madras which are right next to each other and they will show you how amazing Indian food can really be to the soul.

Red Bamboo Brooklyn
271 Adelphi Street
Brooklyn NY 11205

- This place is amazing. I remember my first time walking in and I was so freaked out that they had fake meat and when I got the "beef" taco trio it was just amazing. They know how to make the palate happy and put a smile on your face with their all vegan desserts.... (yummy). This is the hotspot for young black veg folk and believe me will will be so many people of color you will put a even bigger smile on your face.

Vegetarian Palate
258 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11217

- I love this place.... I can't believe I didn't try this place earlier. When I went here I was so happy they know how to cook the food and keep you coming back for more. The steamed veggie dumplings are so yummy I can taste them right now. This is a place you will see tons of black folk grubbing on some veg food. I love support this veg restaurant because they make the best dumplings that I have ever had in my life.... No lie.

---- I use black folk because I like it better than any other and I hope no one is offended. If there are any issues place let me know and I will not use the word if anyone has issues with it.

Enjoy exploring the veg listing.....

Being Black and Vegan

I have been vegan for almost 2 years an love ever minute of it. When I first went vegan I was so happy because I was feeling much healthier then I have ever felt better. But after a year I start to feel that I was missing something in my life. I wanted to be around more people of color who were Vegetarian and Vegan. So when I came home for the summer after my first year of college I found out their was a Black Vegetarian Society of New York and started to research and realized there were many more around the US. Veganism has been life changing and I'm so thankful for the person who let me read " Fast Food Nation" my life would probably be surround my meat and cheese. I learned so much from this book and then one day I went from vegetarianism for 6 days and then I went vegan. Life is full of challenges and obstacles an veganism can be a challenge at first but at the end of the day you are saving so many animals and the world is becoming a better place because of YOU.....