#BlackLivesMatter, Veganism, & Intersectionality | Mickey Z.

[Tace]

Photo credit: Mickey Z.

An Interview with A. Breeze Harper

Mickey Z. -- World News Trust

Jan. 16, 2015

"If vegans who aren't Black want to show support, they first need to understand that race matters.”

- A. Breeze Harper

The night after it was announced that Darren Wilson would not be indicted for murdering Mike Brown, I attended a #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) rally at NYC's Union Square Park.

Nearby, a group of local animal rights activists were holding a protest that'd been scheduled weeks in advance. I couldn't help but imagine how powerful it'd be if those vegans ditched their plans for one night and, instead, unambiguously joined the BLM March and made new connections.

Without some major changes, veganism and animal rights will never be taken seriously nor will these groups reach beyond their current homogenous and negligible demographic. If you’d like to win over a few more humans to any given cause, I believe it usually helps to demonstrate to them that you care -- even a tiny bit -- about the issues that impact them. Without such growth and diversity, we are doomed, the non-human animals are doomed, the ecosystem is doomed.

To help address such urgent issues, I reached out to A. Breeze Harper, PhD, the editor of Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak On Food, Identity, Health, and Society, a “groundbreaking anthology that examined how race and gender shape the vegan experience” in the United States.

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http://worldnewstrust.com/blacklivesmatter-veganism-intersectionality-mickey-z

[LiberalElite]

1. I've been an animal rights activist for a long time

I often wondered about our mostly caucasian membership. Occasionally a black or hispanic or asian would attend a meeting or a protest here and there and then not bother anymore. I certainly show up for other causes - including the recent demos for Eric Garner and way back, Amadou Diallo and Abner Louima. Can't speak for the rest though - and I'm not one of the "leaders".

P.S.: I suggest you post this in the "Vegetarian, Vegan and Animal Rights" group if you haven't already.