11 minute read
Black & White Vegans, Can We Join Forces?
By Prof. Johanna Sophia The divide and what we can do about it.
Much of the segregation, separation, and confl ict that we all experience has to do with societal, cultural, and other biases. Consequently, white cultures still live by ‘black is bad and white is right’ - a value scale that colonizers and their descendants have assigned to most everything except chocolate. As a young girl in Germany, a country whose people had been militarized under Hitler, and who were still in that mindset in the 50’s, I had a uniquely diff erent upbringing in a family of pacifi sts. My parents encouraged us to see and interact with all people as humans, irrespective of their cultures or status. This was a good foundation for my personal growth. It led me to exploring the world, writing a thesis on multiculturalism, and campaigning for human rights. The Western world purports that we do not have a caste system, but we encourage something equally as vile. Many names can be given to this evil in the country that likes to be known for equality and freedom: underfunded schools, food deserts, lack of health and government services, low income neighborhoods, stigma for non-white immigrants, and police brutality. Even though laws may have changed, in many white people’s minds, minorities by the mere fact they were born with more melanin, are still placed at the proverbial ‘back of the bus.’ 56 | hippocratesinst.org | Immunity and well-being In stores, clerks lock up the cases of products for black hair and skin care, whereas right next to them are the toiletries for whites without locks. Black people are followed by detectives in department stores and malls. Yes, store chains are now promising to make changes - but will they do enough? When black and brown people are stopped or arrested, they will be prosecuted, incarcerated, or even killed, while whites get away with a slap on the wrist. According to data gathered by the NAACP, African American males are fi ve times more likely to be incarcerated than whites - and not because they commit more crimes per capita than Caucasians. This results in one third of the male African American population experiencing imprisonment at some point in their life. Private prisons profi t from this system. Is it surprising then, that even black vegans and white vegans are still divided? It takes a whole lot more than removing locks, changing healthcare, and improving nutrition to right these incredible wrongs and bring us together. But maybe we can start where we have already achieved commonality, in going vegan? Can we begin to embrace each other in the realization that we vegans have all decided to end violence against animals, and nature by adding each other to that list? Can we share the various ways we have begun to self-heal and teach others to heal themselves?
In 2019, I went to the Congressional Black Caucus Conference in Washington D.C., to meet with friends and to explore my topic of Black Veganism that we hear so little about. Danny Glover walked past me. I was excited but I didn’t want to call out his name, so I gently tapped him on the shoulder and he turned, saying “Oh, OK” and got in position for a selfi e – “Oh, no”, I said, “I would rather talk about veganism, social justice, and climate change.” We both laughed. He was happy to tell me that he’d been all about health and saving the planet for years. Many vegans were at the conference, but little did I know I would meet Danny Glover. “I want to tie food justice and social justice
to the climate change debate,” I said and he responded with a bitter chuckle: “There won’t be any social justice if we don’t have a planet!” We both laughed about the irony of it all. Oh great! I thought, we both know that discrimination and climate change are caused by the same colonialist exploitation and unfettered capitalism that is on track to render life on Earth extinct. Glover impressed and deeply moved viewers around the globe as an actor - particularly in the highly acclaimed To Sleep with Anger by Charles Burnett. In the mid-1980’s, I lived in Los Angeles where Burnett would visit me in my little bungalow to talk about politics and movies and the dilemma of black artists in America. Glover, over decades, has supported progressive fi lmmakers, politicians, revolutionaries, and the concept of a life-saving, peace promoting, plant-based diet. Glover’s friend, Dexter King, the youngest of the King family has said, “If you’re violent to yourself by putting things into your body that violate its spirit, it will be diffi cult not to perpetuate that onto someone else.” His mother, Coretta King, followed suit and employed and became an advocate for the Hippocrates vegan diet. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered, I remember seeing my German parents cry. As I grew up, I realized that I didn’t have a choice in being perceived as ‘white’ whether I wanted that distinction or not. Now, I intentionally take sides and defend the beauty of blackness, and yet, I still catch myself with those white do-gooder thoughts that perpetuate stereotypes. We are all raised with some degree of bias because of viewpoints, religions, and/or philosophies to which we are exposed. Such things form our thought patterns and behaviors. Once we become more conscious of this fact, we have the opportunity to transform ourselves and hopefully infl uence others. To be perceived as just ‘human’ would be the ideal standard. Working toward equality, we vegans who identify ourselves as conscious individuals, should want to collaborate across the board, right? Regrettably, we are still greatly divided. When you look at Meetup groups for vegans, you fi nd groups specifi cally mentioning race. From ‘NYC Vegans of Color’ to ‘Black Vegans of Toronto’, you have to presume the rest are white groups. This disparity, in and of itself is prejudicial. It can only be remedied by supporting true equality for all people. It is no longer enough to be just ‘not racist,’ we have to be actively ‘anti-racist,’ and this takes eff ort.
A few years ago, Dr. Angela Davis said: After his outburst, his client chimed in: “I think it’s the right moment to talk “Because black vegans have ‘beef’ with about veganism because it is part of a each other!” We all had a hearty laugh and revolutionary perspective” – Whites can then Natural continued: “We have to work learn from her that going vegan is not out our diff erences within the black vegan just for health but part of that revolution community fi rst, before we can reach out toward a more equitable and peaceful and collaborate with white vegans.” world. It is indeed revolutionary to respect all of our fellow creatures. The next natural step is to eradicate factory farming, industrialized foods, and the murderous conglomerates of the meat and dairy cartel. How do we do that? By doing something every day. Senator Cory Booker encourages this notion when he says: “Remember that the biggest thing you could do today is a small act of kindness.” Not eating animals is such an act. Vegan Chef Maka Taylor of Washington, D.C. put it bluntly: “No really, it’s as simple as that: racism is everywhere! Even when our experiences are all pretty much the same. I lost my mom to leukemia when I was only a kid. Doctors told us nothing could be done, and then I discovered something quite diff erent. Clean plant food containing phytonutrients can prevent and reverse disease - that was a revelation for me. To keep my kids from inheriting the leukemia Dr. Natural of the Temple of Illumination, a ‘dying’ gene, we chose to go vegan. This 40-year veteran raw vegan from Brooklyn, was really hard when giving up addictive was with a client when he took my call. In choices.” Maka thought for a moment. “Yes, reaction to my question, “If veganism is an and when I think about it, the divide is enlightened step forward toward a better also there because of our separate eating society, why do we still have this blackcultures: Soul food here, Wasp food there white division?” His immediate answer - it’s conditioning. Black vegans, White was, “Racism!” Such an exclamation may vegans. It’s dehumanizing.” sound reductionist, but there is truth to it. 58 | hippocratesinst.org | Immunity and well-being I replied: “My vision is that we all take cruelty, disease, and sorrow out of our diet.” - “Exactly,” Taylor continued, “We have to talk to each other! This fi rst step opens our hearts and our minds to greater empathy and compassion. When in harmony with ourselves, we help to harmonize all of life.” Taylor’s friend Dayvie Paschall, a Washington architect, rounded it up: “Let’s intentionally do that.” So LET’S! Let’s save the planet together as vegans, because, just like Danny Glover said: “No planet, no social justice.”
Prof. Johanna Sophia can be reached at JohannasRawFoods.com, on Facebook, YouTube, or LinkedIn under Prof. Johanna Sophia - she coaches people to health and into new careers.
HIDDEN DANGERS IN THE AIR YOU BREATHE
A CAUSE OF ILLNESS
Story: Dr. Roy Speiser, Vice President of Clean Water Revival, Inc. CWR Environmental Protection Products
Suffering since childhood with severe asthma, Dr. Diane Romeo, chiropractor, found that using the right indoor air puri ers, for the last 15 years, helped make her asymptomatic. Scienti c evidence has linked indoor air pollution to conditions you might expect, e.g., allergies, chemical sensitivities, fatigue, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.
But, did you know that, according to a World Health Organization scienti c publication,
millions of people worldwide die prematurely each year from illnesses due to air pollution? Indoor air pollution contributes to lung cancer, stroke, heart, and pulmonary disease. Close to half of respiratory illnesses in children under age ve are caused by particulate matter inhaled from household air pollution.
Most of us spend more than 70 percent of our time indoors. Levels of contaminants are higher indoors than outdoors. Inside our
homes and businesses, the life-giving indoor air we breathe has become increasingly contaminated with new strains of viruses, airborne chemicals,
and toxic mold. Other sources of indoor contaminants are passive tobacco smoke, chemical odors from cleaning agents, furniture, ooring, and formaldehyde from construction material and its allergens. If you are living
or working in a contaminated indoor environment, your immune system never
gets a chance to recover. Its performance is decreased. Ultimately, long term exposure, can lead to chronic diseases.
What can you do to protect your health and keep your children from developing
respiratory illnesses? Realistically, you cannot live in a “totally clean environment.” You can protect your health and your children’s health by thoroughly cleaning your indoor air. Air puri cation systems are used in hospitals to prevent contagious airborne pathogens from spreading. In the home, advanced ltration units can be used to effectively remove particulates, microbes, and airborne chemicals. The right air ltration system can reduce their levels in your breathing space. In addition, you can protect yourself and your children by using non-toxic cleaners and eliminating mold sources. To select the best air ltration unit, you should have an evaluation of the indoor air quality, identify types of contaminants present and the size of the area to be cleaned. New strains of viruses, airborne chemicals and toxic mold may be present in the indoor air you breathe. If a family member has hyper allergies, immune de ciency or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, indoor air contaminants must be reduced to signi cantly lower levels. This requires designing the most effective ltration equipment solution based upon the application and health requirements of the family.
With hundreds of air lters on the market, you need to know which are the most effective for your home and family. Good quality air lters have a sealed HEPA lter, carbon and absorbent media plus a powerful motor to clean the room several times per hour. A newer germicidal air puri er, the Healthway
Disinfection Filtration System (DFS)
exceeds the HEPA standard of 0.3 microns. It captures “ultra ne particles” as small as 0.007 microns which are smaller than many viruses. Also, this air puri cation unit has the capability of killing the collected bacteria, mold and viruses.
My recommendation to nd the best air puri er to protect your family, is to seek out a professional who has experience in indoor air quality solutions.
Call: 800-444-3563, Ext 1 for a complimentary Water Consultation
Immunity and well-being | hippocratesinst.org | Web Site: www.cwrenviro.com Email: drspeiser@cwrenviro.com
