And the Importance of Centering BIPOC Voices

by Federica Cardamone

Over the past few months, much light has been shed on the white supremacy that has silently (and often, loudly) reigned within the vegan community for years. Recently, notable vegan activist James Aspey came under fire for adamantly defending his comparison of factory farming to the Holocaust, despite others’ effort to help him comprehend how harmful his words were. Several individuals within the intersectional vegan community spoke out against Aspey’s claims (which included another horrific comparison to slavery), but many well-known white vegans remained unsurprisingly silent. 

Unfortunately, white supremacy within the veganism movement did not start nor will end with these current events - it has been a line many vegans have walked on for years, not being held accountable for perpetuating racism simply because they may be deemed by some as “good” because of their care for animals. Participating in the veganism movement solely for the sake of animal rights is inherently racist - it sees no barriers to veganism on the personal level, as if a multitude of nuanced factors like food deserts, poverty, western imperialism have never existed. When non-human animals are advocated for instead of and above BIPOC, it conserves the colonial narrative of likening non-white people to animals, which has persisted for centuries. Not to mention that the notion of 100% cruelty-free veganism brushed aside the mistreatment of the farm workers who grow our food, who oftentimes happen to be non-white. So why is it so easy for white vegans to demand empathy across species lines and in the same breath refuse it within their own?

In short, I think it’s because white veganism is the “norm” - it’s mainstream. Though plant-based diets have long been prevalent among various BIPOC-communities and cultures, the narrative is still being commandeered by white people. Though white vegans are most often the most recognized by the general public (e.g., vegan influencers and animal rights organizations and non-profit groups), yet the number of American adults that identify as vegan includes only 1% of Hispanic Americans but that number increases to a startling 8% among Black American adults. While this means they are the largest group of vegans in America, the vegan movement continues to neglect and isolate Black, and other non-white, vegans time and time again. Thus, when veganism is co-opted by white people who can’t even begin to understand the lived experience of oppression, it’s not only inherently imperialist but also counterproductive.

All of this to say, there is a really lovely community of BIPOC vegans and organizations who practice intersectionality and work toward making veganism accessible to all. Some of my favorites (this is far from an exhaustive list) include: 

Isaias Hernandez 
Afia Amoako
Debbie Morales
Zipporah Wharwood
Dominick Thompson
Jessica Hylton
Yvette Baker
Iye Bako
Blair Imani
Afro-Vegan Society
Veggie Mijas
Vegans Against All Oppression (VAAO)