Making veganism for all

Veganism for all

THE WHITEWASHING AND ELITISM OF PLANT-BASED DIETS

Written by Gabrielle Gronewold, Culture Editor Illustrated by Keely Bradish, Arts Curator

Find yourself at any chic brunch spot and you’ll be able to order a palatable, colorful vegan plate featuring tofu and jackfruit. Not only will this dish be delicious, wholesome and free of animal cruelty, but the vegan alternatives found in this (and many similar dishes) originate from communities of color without credit.

Tofu, quinoa, chia seeds, jackfruit and collard greens all originated from communities of color and have been used for centuries prior to being duped by white people into trendy meat-alternatives. These so-called trendy superfoods are used with no acknowledgment of their origin, serving as a form of cultural erasure.1 Principles of veganism can be found in many modern and ancient lifestyles across many cultures and countries. Vegetarianism originated from Greece in 500 BCE and can continuously be seen throughout history.2 Today 40% of North Americans are making efforts to incorporate vegan ingredients into their diets.3 Veganism is “a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animalfree alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment,” according to the Vegan Society.4 The influx of plant-based choices has taken the media and society by storm. By becoming vegan or simply making more plant-based choices, consumers are playing into a conscious decision that in many ways has become politicized. The virtue that is attributed to veganism is unique compared to other diet fads or consumption habits in that it often takes a moral stance on the consumption of animal products. In light of the unethical

1 K, Shah. “Vegan Race Wars.” Thrillist. January 26, 2018 2 C, Suddath. “History of Veganism.” Time. October 30, 2018. 3 B. Slabakova. “The Age of Veganism.” Health Careers. January 7th, 2020 4 “Definition of Veganism.” The Vegan Society. practice of factory farming, the viability of veganism is both a personal and moral departure from current agricultural practices.5 While there are vast environmental, health and communal benefits of plantbased diets, there is also a kind of elitism and ethical righteousness that has put veganism on a pedestal that ignores the groups they leave out. While vegans are (without a doubt) making efforts to live a conscious, ethical lifestyle, they must also be aware of the intersectional faults of their community. The vegan image has become predominantly white. In fact, searching “vegan person” on Shutterstock doesn’t include a single image of a person of color, until the end of the third page.6 The lack of representation is a clear example of how mainstream, popular veganism leaves out people of color. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center survey, only 3% of all U.S. adults identified as vegan compared to 8% of Black U.S. adults.7 If this is the case, why wouldn’t the Shutterstock search represent that? Advocacy groups, such as Vegan Voices of Color, attribute white veganism to excluding vegans of color from many of their conversations and discourse.8 Leaving BIPOC vegans out of the larger conversations causes them to feel isolated and alone as a marginalized group within a marginalized group.9 Lauren Ornelas, founder of the Food Empowerment Project shared with Thrillist that many vegan donors overlook their organization for not being “vegan enough”. Much of the Food Empowerment Project’s goals center around making vegan options

5 J, Castricano, R, Simonsen. “Critical Perspectives on Veganism. The Palgrave Macmillan. 2016. 6 K, Shah. “Vegan Race Wars.” Thrillist. January 26, 2018 7 “The New Food Fights: U.S. Public Divides Over Food Science.” Pew Research. December 1, 2016. 8 “Why Vegan Voices of Color?” Vegan Voices of Color. January 24, 2016. 9 K, Shah. “Vegan Race Wars.” Thrillist. January 26, 2018 more available to communities, such as increasing access to fruits and vegetables.10 “People should be able to eat healthy and have access to fruits and vegetables, and options. A grave injustice is taking place that communities that do not have the same access to healthy foods that everybody else does,” Ornelas stated in an interview.11

Beyond exclusion, white veganism also does not acknowledge that many animal food products are rooted in colonialism. The unethical industrial farming practices we see today are a direct result of the colonizer’s implication of capitalism. Prior to colonialism, many indigenous people practiced hunting and gathering, and any animal consumption did not include the unethical fast farming we see today.12 Colonialism also introduced cattle to many indigenous communities which caused an increase of animal products used in dishes.13 When you think of a cheesy taco, for example, the cheese didn’t exist in that dish prior to the introduction of dairy from colonizers.14 By not acknowledging the emergence of animal products and fast farming by white people, white veganism is choosing to ignore a major part of animal cruelty’s history. While the morals behind ethical consumerism and no animal cruelty may be just and valid, there are still disparities that make veganism not accessible for all. If plant-based eaters want to celebrate their beautiful lifestyle and values, they must acknowledge their peers who are not accounted for or represented by the vegan community and question how to make the movement more accessible to all groups. ■

10 Ibid. 11 Ibid 12 J, Yazbeck. “The Problem with White Veganism.” Medium. November 1, 2018 13G, Bowling. “The Introduction of Cattle into Colonial North America.” Journal of Dairy Science. 14 Z, Johnston. “Why the History of the Taco is Vital to the Current Food Conversation.” Uproxx. October 28, 2019.