By Victor Flores, Greater New Mexico Community Engagement and Events Coordinator

In February, the Alamogordo Health and Wellness Fair invited my family to participate in their annual health fair at New Mexico State University Alamogordo in Alamogordo, NM. After learning that the vendors and speakers needed to bring their own lunch, we saw a perfect opportunity to “wow” them with a vegan meal. Even though it required food for 100 people, we accepted the challenge!

There’s a vegan-friendly restaurant in nearby El Paso, TX, named Eloise that makes its own seitan that is absolutely delicious. We ordered 100 of their El Graco seitan wraps as the main entrée and rounded out the meal with veggie chips, apple braid strudel for dessert, and water infused with strawberry, kiwi, lime, and orange.

Besides having a booth set up with tons of information on the benefits of plant-based nutrition, we had an area to give out information to the vendors and speakers we fed. We intentionally set up a table in a separate area so they wouldn’t be distracted with the noise. When the speakers and vendors came to pick up their food, we made sure that everyone who got a seitan wrap also took a Vegan Outreach pamphlet. We also posted a menu so everyone knew what they’d be eating. Most were excited to try the wrap, while others were skeptical.

After all the meals and pamphlets were handed out, I took a stroll around the entire fair to visit with the vendors while they were eating. I’m not exaggerating when I say that everyone was blown away! Some couldn’t believe the meal was vegan. Many swore the seitan had to be some type of meat since the flavor and texture were so delicious. I didn’t come across a single person who didn’t like the meal.

Many of the vendors and speakers came to our booth after lunch to request more information and vegan recipes. Several asked for our contact information to see if we could possibly do cooking classes and other community activities These groups varied from local health organizations to an organization that mentors juveniles in the juvenile detention system.

If you’re trying to create more vegans in your community, keep your eyes open for opportunities like this. Vegfests are fun but we’re often preaching to the choir. Look for health fairs and festivals at local schools. Offer them free vegan food and then sit back and watch lives change!

By Alex Bury, Organizational Development Consultant

Before you read this blog, please take a moment and center yourself with this important video showing popcorn popping in slow motion. Thank you.

Many years ago, I met a woman named Dinali Abeysekera. She and I briefly worked together, but she soon went on to all sorts of amazing life things—like helping people after natural disasters and starting awesome new businesses. Apparently fundraising with me wasn’t exciting enough, and I got used to the slight feeling of envy every time I saw her Facebook posts about her various accomplishments.

About six months ago the envy turned to all-out, bright green jealousy because now she’s making popcorn! Dinali and her husband started a brand new, all-vegan, gourmet and organic popcorn company called Luminous Organics.

This is an interesting coincidence because I share something similar with my husband—VO’s Jack Norris—a love for popcorn. When Jack and I go to the movies we mostly go for the popcorn. And when one of us brings a bag of popcorn home, we try to hide it so the bag lasts longer. It never works. Jack likes Earth Balance and YaYa’s Herb & Garden Vegetable, and I usually get SkinnyPop or BoomChickaPop. All great options, but my new favorite is definitely Luminous Organics’ Turmeric Black Pepper!

Dinali sent me a bag of each of her four popcorn flavors and all four bags were gone in a couple of days. They’re absolutely delicious! The Turmeric Black Pepper has an extra punch to it, and I loved the delicate sweetness of the Cacao and Maple flavors.

I highly recommend you order a box of all four flavors before your next all-night Battlestar Galactica marathon, birthday party, road trip, or staycation. You can buy Dinali’s popcorn in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island, NY, and they ship quickly to everyone else.

Don’t sit on this—go get yourself some Luminous Popcorn now. It’s going to bring so much popping love into your life.

By Lori Stultz, Communications Manager

Vegan Outreach is excited to announce our revamped 10-week email series, Vegan Serial!

This series has taken on a new name and a new look, but it’s as helpful as ever!

When you sign up you’ll receive 10 emails—one per week—each with a delicious and easy vegan recipe, a nutrition tip from a registered dietitian, Vegan Outreach Executive Director Jack Norris, and recommendations for our favorite vegan food products, like frozen pizza and versions of your favorite candy bars.

This is an excellent resource for anyone who’s just dipping their toes into the water of veg eating. The information is short and sweet, fun, and light-hearted.

Simply click this link, fill out the sign-up form, and you’re good to go! You’ll receive the first week’s email immediately.

By Jen Bravo, Guest Contributor

This post is the second in a series on the history of women in the animal protection movement, gender and animal advocacy, and stories of the women striving today to make the world a better place for animals.

In part one of Clear Eyes, Full Hearts: Women in Animal Advocacy, we highlighted three women who were instrumental in the fight to end vivisection in the late 1800s and very early 1900s. In part two, we explore just a few of the contributions women have made to the animal protection movement in the second half of the twentieth century and beyond.

The Modern Philosophical Movement

The modern animal rights movement often traces its roots to the 1975 publication of Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation, and soon thereafter, Tom Regan’s The Case for Animal Rights in 1983. It’s frequently argued that these two works form the foundation of our modern understanding of animal rights.

But before those seminal works were others written by women, like Ruth Harrison’s Animal Machines (1964), which exposed the world to industrial animal agriculture and influenced Peter Singer to become a vegetarian. And there was also Brigid Brophy’s essay in The Sunday Times, “The Rights of Animals” (1965), in which she argued that “…the relationship of Homo sapiens to the other animals is one of unremitting exploitation.” Brigid was a feminist and pacifist who campaigned for vegetarianism and animal rights, was open about her bisexuality, and has been credited with triggering the creation of the modern animal rights movement in England.

Brigid believed in legitimate rights for animals, not just a reduction in suffering. She once said:

I don’t myself believe that, even when we fulfill our minimum obligations not to cause pain, we have the right to kill animals. I know I would not have the right to kill you, however painlessly, just because I liked your flavour, and I am not in a position to judge that your life is worth more to you than the animal’s to it.

Brigid’s 1965 essay was later collected in the 1971 anthology, Animals, Men, and Morals, along with works by other influential women, including Ruth Harrison, Muriel Dowding (the co-founder of Beauty Without Cruelty), Maureen Duffy, and Roslind Godlovitch.

Civil Rights and Animal Rights

Many civil rights leaders believed—and still believe—that all forms of prejudice and exploitation are linked, and therefore have argued in favor of animal protection as well as civil rights. Rosa Parks is believed to have been a vegetarian for much of her life. And Alice Walker, celebrated author of The Color Purple (1982), while only mostly vegetarian, wrote in her forward to Marjorie Spiegel’s book The Dreaded Comparison (1988) one of the most well-known quotes on animal rights:

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.

Alice Walker went on to share, in a 2008 Vegetarian Times interview:

I find it difficult to feel responsible for the suffering of others. That’s why I find war so hard to bear. It’s the same with animals: I feel the less harm I do, the lighter my heart. I love a light heart. And when I know I’m causing suffering, I feel the heaviness of it. It’s a physical pain. So it’s self-interest that I don’t want to cause harm.

If I’m eating food I know was a creature in a cage, it brings up memories of segregation and the stories from my ancestors, of being in captivity and denied their personalities, their true beings. Animals were not made for us, or our use. They have their own use, which is just being who they are.

Similarly, political powerhouse and activist, Angela Davis, spoke out about being vegan at the University of California, Berkeley in 2012, at the 27th Annual Empowering Women of Color Conference. She argued that being vegan is a revolutionary act, part of a revolutionary perspective that challenges exploitation inherent in the status quo:

I usually don’t mention that I’m vegan, but that has evolved. I think it’s the right time to talk about it because it is a part of a revolutionary perspective—how can we not only discover more compassionate relations with human beings, but how can we develop compassionate relations with the other creatures with whom we share this planet, and that would mean challenging the whole capitalist industrial form of food production.

Just Scratching the Surface…

This blog post doesn’t even begin to touch on all the ways women have influenced animal protection in the twentieth century and beyond. It doesn’t touch on the women who founded animal protection organizations that have been critical to the growth of the movement, like Helen Jones, who founded the group that would become the International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR) in 1959, Shirley McGreal, who formed the International Primate Protection League (IPPL) in 1973, and Ingrid Newkirk, who co-founded People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1980. It doesn’t touch on the women who ran vegetarian restaurants during the food revolution of the 1970s. It doesn’t touch on women in law, or women in politics, or all of the women who work tirelessly day after day rescuing animals from neglect and mistreatment.

In our third and final installment of this short series, we’ll share stories of some of these women striving today to make the world a better place for animals, and link to some recommended reading and online projects that we think you’ll find interesting.

By Lori Stultz, Communications Manager

The surge of incredibly strong, fast, and talented vegan athletes is one of my favorite parts about this movement. The types of athletes vary widely, and it’s inspirational to hear vegan athletes talk about their concern for animals and the environment, and the ways in which they take care of their own bodies.

I’ve never paid attention to the sport of weightlifting, but it definitely caught my eye when I heard about Clarence Kennedy, an Irish weightlifter who lifts weights—a lot of them—fueled by, you guessed it, plants! I watched a few of his YouTube videos and read multiple interviews online, and I was immediately impressed.

I reached out to Clarence to ask if we could do a brief interview. The interviews I read prior to making contact discussed a lot of the specifics of his weightlifting, but I was curious about a few other things—like why he chose this sport and why he decided to go vegan. I was also interested about how his weightlifting community responded to his transition to a plant-based lifestyle.

This is seriously an interview you don’t want to miss out on! And for that athlete in your family who thinks it’s impossible to be athletic without eating meat, forward them this blog post! I think Clarence’s compassion and overall balanced approach to veganism will make them rethink what it means to be a vegan athlete.

Lori Stultz: What got you interested in weightlifting?

Clarence Kennedy: About 10 years ago I got into a sport called tricking, which is basically an underground sport that combines elements from gymnastics and martial arts.

After tricking for a while, I wanted to increase the height and power of tricks. I read that athletes incorporate the Olympic lifts and its variations to increase power and speed (this is the oldest footage I could find of myself doing Olympic weightlifting). So, I started adding lifting into my training and I enjoyed them so much that I got hooked and I slowly stopped tricking, although I still do it from time to time.

Lori: Do you lift professionally or is it something you do as a hobby?

Clarence: Weightlifting for me is purely a hobby. Before, I had wanted to become a professional athlete, but my goals have changed in recent years and the reason is quite complicated. In the future, I might release a video explaining why.

Lori: What sparked your interest in changing your eating patterns to one that is now completely plant-based?

Clarence: The reason I switched was purely for ethical reasons. It had nothing to do with weightlifting. From a young age, I was aware of the hypocrisy of people claiming to be against animal cruelty, yet those same people would consume animal products. It just became normalized for me and it was something I purposely ignored until I came across a few YouTube videos from TheVeganAtheist, ThinkAboutThis, Unnatural Vegan, and other channels. After watching a lot of YouTube videos and reading the articles about veganism, I realized there was absolutely no good argument against veganism and I slowly changed what I was eating.

Lori: How has the lifting community of other weightlifters responded?

Clarence: Surprising well. I expected to get a lot of hate for the vegan food video I uploaded online recently, but it seems a lot of people were actually willing to try changing their eating habits too. Quite a few people liked the fact that I didn’t criticize meat eaters.

Lori: What’s your favorite go-to meal?

Clarence: Probably just cereal with fruits and seeds, because it’s simple to prepare!

Lori: If you had to offer one piece of advice to someone who’s interested in going vegan, whether they’re athletic or not, what would it be?

Clarence: I would definitely say research a lot on how to eat healthy when living a vegan lifestyle. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of pseudoscience in the vegan community. A simple rule is to avoid getting information from people advocating juice cleanses, raw vegan diets, not taking supplements, and people exaggerating the health benefits of a veganism (I’ve seen some vegans claim veganism can cure Crohn’s disease). Most of the information I got on plant-based eating is from VeganHealth.org. It’s the only website that really explains the common pitfalls of going vegan and backs up the information with science.

Another thing I would say to someone is that they should continue to educate themselves on why they should be vegan. It’s extremely easy to fall back into the culture you were born into, especially since 99% of people around you—depending on where you live—are meat eaters and tell you eating meat is normal.

Lori: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few of my questions, Clarence. You’re certainly an inspiration in the growing number of athletes who are moving toward to a vegan lifestyle.

By Josie Moody, Office Manager

When I was asked if I wanted to review BFree’s vegan, gluten-free products, I said “yes,” but I was skeptical. I was even more skeptical when a box filled with half a dozen different BFree products showed up on my porch. Until this point, I never had a gluten-free bread product that didn’t taste, well, gluten-free.

After biting into one of their Brown Seeded Rolls, I was more than pleasantly surprised with how soft, chewy, and delicious this bread was! As a test, I left the package out in the kitchen knowing that my husband wouldn’t be able to resist a little carbo-loading. He, too, thought they were incredible. Within a couple of days, all of the rolls were gone.

The same pattern followed with their Soft White Rolls, their Sandwich Loaves—the new, hip way to say “bread”—and their Hot Dog Buns. I again had reservations when I opened the Pita Bread. In my experience, any pita bread I’ve had that wasn’t fresh tasted like it was baked from a mixture of dust and cardboard—not the case with BFree! It was moist and tasted great paired with a little Miso Mayo and Tofurky Deli Slices.

The only BFree product that I tasted that I wouldn’t recommend was their bagels. I found those to be the dry fare I’d previously expected in gluten-free bread. However, I think bagels are really just an excuse to eat vegan cream cheese, so I’d recommend slathering some on one of their other yummy products.

Like many vegan food companies, BFree is helping to remove the stigma of what gluten-free food tastes like. All of their products are vegan, and I’d love to see all of their recipe recommendations on their website be vegan as well!

Click here to find out where you can buy BFree products near you! If there aren’t any products nearby, they’ll be available for online purchase nationwide at Gluten-Free Mall in early April.

By Jamila Alfred, Maryland/DC Events and Outreach Coordinator

Family is a beautiful thing, especially when its members have similar interests and viewpoints! That’s the case for the New York City-based King family, which is made up of dancers, musicians, and activists.

Cynthia King and her son, Major, are incredibly talented and passionate vegans who use their art to spread awareness about social justice issues. Being multi-faceted artists, the mother and son have changed many people’s ideas of what typical vegans do.

The Kings’ include racial awareness in their unconventional approach to animal activism, which is a necessary step in the process of creating a wholly compassionate future.

So without further ado, let’s meet Major and Cynthia.

Major King

Jamila Alfred: How was life like growing up vegan?

Major: Growing up vegan, I would always get asked, “What do you eat?” It was annoying at times because other kids would try to be funny by teasing me with meat. When I’d get asked why I don’t eat meat, my usual response was, “Because I love animals.”

Having the support of my family definitely made growing up vegan easier. I learned quickly to eat before going out in anticipation of there being no vegan options. For example, being invited to a barbeque.

As a young activist, I wasn’t scared to speak out for animals, which led to a lot of explaining to other kids what’s wrong with animal agriculture, fur, aquariums, pet shops, etc.

Jamila: When and why did you start dancing?

Major: I started dancing as young as I can remember. My mother opened up her own dance studio when I was in elementary school. I took a lot of different classes, but I was really into bboying after I learned what it was and its basics from PaxPrime of Breaks Kru. I still did other dance styles like modern, tap, and hip-hop until I got more serious with bboying at the age of 13. Breaking (bboying) was like my escape from everything in life and it gave me confidence and pride in what I worked hard for. Shout out to my crew 5 Crew Dynasty!

Check out a sample of Major’s dancing here.

Jamila: How does your mom—who’s also an amazing dancer—inspire you?

Major: My mom inspires me because she works so hard. She’s always worked seven days a week because she runs her own business, but she does so much for our community and for animals. She always set a good example for me of what it means to be hardworking and compassionate.

Jamila: What challenges do you face as a young, black male doing activism?

Major: As a young, black male doing activism there are a few challenges we face. Many activists expect everyone to be on the front lines in every demonstration, but they fail to realize that as a person of color I have to keep in mind that the police will most likely arrest or brutalize me before anyone else. I’ve had other activists not believe that I was doing animal rights activism and think I was trying to steal a poster board.

Another challenge is seeing fellow vegans who speak out against all forms of animal cruelty, but staying silent about racism. The experience of a black activist is definitely not the same as others.

Jamila: What are your favorite forms of activism and why?

Major: My favorite forms of activism are leafleting and also social media posting because I feel conversations can be sparked the easiest through those methods. I like to think I’m really good with speaking to people and getting them to consider making compassionate choices, which is why I don’t pass up an opportunity to have a conversation with someone. I have to note that I love making noise at demonstrations—you can usually find me with a megaphone at one point.

Jamila: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Major: In 10 years I see myself still fighting for animal rights, still dancing every day, and still working out hard and showing the world that the best athletes are compassionate ones.

Jamila: What advice do you have for young activists of color?

Major: To other young activists of color—just know that the world may think veganism is a white thing, but it’s not and that notion is changing. There are tons of black vegans out there so don’t think you’re alone. There’s a lot of poorly informed, stereotyping people out there that will ask you about eating chicken and other stuff. When that happens to me, I just brush them off, let them know I don’t eat any animals and that I don’t need to. And at demonstrations/protests/marches watch out for the police—don’t put yourself in danger or get arrested.

Cynthia King

Jamila: Where were you raised?

Cynthia: I was raised in New Jersey and New York. I have lived in several different neighborhoods, but my heart belongs to Brooklyn, NY and Jersey City, NJ!

Jamila: What’s your vegan story?

Cynthia: I became vegetarian as a child—around 10 years old—when someone handed me a flyer with a graphic image of an animal suffering. The animal in the picture was destined for someone’s plate. That’s when I realized that meat was a result of an animal suffering. I looked at our dog who I loved with all my heart and made a connection. It changed my life forever. I transitioned to veganism in pieces as I learned about the horrors of the dairy and egg industries.

Jamila: How did your decision to go veg at such a young age affect your family?

Cynthia: It really wasn’t such a momentous issue. My parents both worked so much, and I was a pretty independent kid. It wasn’t unusual for me to prepare my own meals.

Jamila: When and why did you start dancing?

Cynthia: I started dancing as a child, mostly just because that’s what some of my neighbors were doing and I could travel with them to classes. It took a long time for me to become good at it. It wasn’t until my early teens that I became extremely motivated and driven. I went to a conservatory—Boston Conservatory—at age 16.

Jamila: What do you do for work? And outside of your job?

Cynthia: I spend every day at my dance studio, Cynthia King Dance Studio. I teach 13 classes per week, and choreograph and rehearse new and repertory work. During the winter months, I’m also busy creating set pieces and designing, fitting, and embellishing nearly 500 costumes for our spring production.

As a business owner and studio director, my work includes overseeing faculty, directing shows, developing new programming and outreach strategies, meeting with parents, and, of course, sweeping, shoveling, and sewing ballet slipper elastic.

I run a vegan ballet slipper company—the only vegan ballet slipper company! We ship shoes around the world and sell them at the studio too. We supply ballet schools from Florida to Switzerland and Japan. We’re the official ballet slipper for four of the Alvin Ailey Camp programs!

My dance studio is fully vegan—only vegan foods allowed inside and all shoes are synthetic/leather free! There is literature everywhere. I hear from kids and parents that the material they’ve read in my studio has enlightened them and guided them to make compassionate choices.

Outside of running my school, dance company, and ballet slipper business, I spend some time at the gym every day. I am active in my community. I love to read, draw, watch late-night TV, and spend time with my dog—or any dog, or all dogs. I serve on the Board of Directors of the Coalition for Healthy School Food. I do many kinds of activism, like participating in demonstrations, letter writing, and lobbying.

I love spending time with my family! My husband and sons are smart and hilarious. They all have very busy schedules, so we find time to hit our favorite vegan restaurants, like Champs Diner and VSPOT. VSOT hosts a weekly Comedy Night—you can find us there Thursday nights.

Jamila: How’d you get your family to go vegan?

Cynthia: They just followed. All had been vegetarian for ethical reasons, and it was easy once everyone understood that there’s no such thing as humane dairy or eggs.

Jamila: Do you have a self-care regimen as an activist? If so, what is it?

Cynthia: I take care of myself by working out regularly and trying to make time to spend with friends. Music and dancing—being with my dancers is healing and invigorating. I also don’t drink or use drugs—I stay close and active with a supportive recovery community. I do a lot of service within that world.

Jamila: Tell us a little bit about your vegan sons.

Cynthia: My sons are both college students here in NYC. Major is a B-boy who performs regularly locally and beyond. He’s an activist. Jet is a writer and rapper. Both are smart, strong athletic men who embody compassionate living at its best. I’m their mother—so ya’ know I gotta brag!

Jamila: What inspires you to keep doing your thing?

Cynthia: During the last few years, there has been some good progress. Our movement has made great strides, from the recent announcement of the Ringling Bros. Circus shutting down to the booming vegan food and restaurant businesses.

I am especially inspired to fight even harder for the rights of all who are struggling right now—we must block the new presidential administration’s efforts to roll back the progress we’ve made. We need to resist by any means necessary.

I am always inspired by the kids I teach. They’re so expressive and open to learning new things. Some have become active in surprising ways. One is raising funds for an animal rescue organization, another is enlightening her friends about the cruelty behind the fur industry. They sometimes take photos of animal rights posters and literature around the dance studio and post it on social media.

I am inspired every day by music, dance, art, and incredible activists who pave the way for others.

Jamila: Wow! What a remarkable family! The Kings serve as a huge inspiration for their hard work and dedication because they still stand up for what’s right despite their hectic, yet productive schedules.

With all that talent, they have unique platforms to spread the message of compassion and understanding. Everyone has different approaches to activism, but doing so through art is absolutely fantastic! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me, Major and Cynthia, and thank you for all the work that you do!