- Black people in Detroit and beyond are adopting veganism at a higher rate than the general population, with 8% of the Black population identifying as strict vegans or vegetarians compared to 3.4% of the general population.
- A vegan lifestyle can lead to positive health impacts for the community, reducing the likelihood of certain diseases and improving heart health.
- Systemic racism, including phenomena like food apartheid, presents challenges for Black communities in achieving access to holistic and culturally appropriate dietary practices like veganism.
Being a Detroit vegan is a badge of pride these days, with more resources and options than ever to help build a vegan lifestyle in the city and region.
And Black people – in Detroit and beyond – are surpassing the general population in becoming vegan, with 8% of the Black population identifying as strict vegans or vegetarians compared with 3.4% of the general population.
Adopting a vegan lifestyle can reduce the likelihood of being diagnosed with these diseases and have a positive impact on heart health.
Veganism and vegetarianism in the Black community is nothing new. Black people are more likely to be lactose intolerant than other groups, and some draw parallels between animal rights and civil rights.
Fast and unhealthy food companies have targeted African Americans since the 1970s, contributing to reduced access to fiber-rich foods and increased diet-related diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.
But in recent years, a surge of Black vegans with millions of social media followers has presented a vegan lifestyle to the world. Influencers like Tabitha Brown advocate for and represent the Black vegan community by posting recipes, life stories, and books.
Author of “Sistah Vegan: Black Woman Vegans Speak in Food, Identity, Health, and Society” Dr. Amie Breeze Harper told Insider that Black communities face challenges in the food system that can make it even more challenging to embrace veganism.
“Systemic racism has made phenomena such as food apartheid a major impediment to achieving access to any type of holistic and culturally appropriate dietary practice, which includes veganism,” Dr. Harper said. “Food apartheid tends to affect Black and Brown communities the most, if we are talking about racialized minorities in the USA.”
I interviewed two Black Detroit vegans and a family member about what drives them to embrace a vegan lifestyle. Here’s what they told me:
Jazzmyn Loyd, 21, Ann Arbor
Became Vegan: Age 12
On their choice to become vegan: When I was in seventh grade, around age 12-13, I was constantly being told by my doctor that I was on the verge of being obese. I already had high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and a lot of health issues. I personally hated exercising, my mom tried to get me in like a whole exercise plan and things like that and I simply just hated it.
So eventually I tried being vegetarian. It was originally supposed to be a diet, but then meat started to smell absolutely horrible to me, I would get really nauseous and I would gag just from the smell of it alone, so I decided to take a step further and become vegan a year or two later. I was in high school at this time.
My mom was familiar with how to cook vegetarian food and I was learning how to cook more and experimenting with vegan food like vegan cheese. I personally did not become vegan because I want animal cruelty to stop because personally, I don’t think it will ever stop, so veganism is not connected to any social issues like that for me.
Challenges they faced: One of my biggest challenges was giving up Slim Jims. I loved Slim Jims and my family is all meat eaters. We would eat some form of meat for dinner every night. When I first became vegan, I had bought a Slim Jim and I was chewing it and thought “this feels wrong” and I’m like oh wait I haven’t had meat in like a year or two. So I spit it out and gave the rest to my dad. Just like I forgot I’m vegan for that one moment, making that adjustment in a household where I’ve always had meat of some form.
I’m going to be honest, finding restaurants as a vegetarian was a lot easier because I was able to eat things like eggs, cheese and things like cheese pizza was no problem. But when I became vegan, it was a lot more difficult. Having specific allergies can also make things harder as I am allergic to nuts, so a lot of vegan options like vegan protein shakes I cannot have because of the probability of it containing nuts.
How do you think veganism impacts the Black community? I will be honest. I’m not sure how or if veganism will have a positive impact on the Black community. Lots of our soul food is meat. We have chicken and ribs, and we use meat in our dishes. I could say that veganism can help with our issues of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are like epidemics in the Black community.
And that’s like our culture of having these highly fatty, really flavorful dishes, and because they’re so delicious, we eat a lot of it. I personally became vegan because I wanted to avoid high cholesterol, being obese, dealing with high blood pressure and having heart problems. And I was tired of every time I went to the doctor. I’ll get the same thing like “Your father has heart problems on his side and your mom has heart problems and diabetes on her side. So you’re at risk if you don’t do something as soon as possible,” and I was tired of hearing that. Veganism can have positive changes to eliminate these risks and factors for sure.
Misconceptions about being vegan: That we’re all against animal cruelty. I am against it, I really hate how we treat livestock, it’s actually horrendous and I learned more about how horrible and disgusting our food is, especially our meat, when I became vegan. The treatment of the animals and the way they’re slaughtered is horror, but I wouldn’t say I am an activist for it. And this is not the reason why I became vegan.
Many people assume you become vegan because you love animals and that’s your whole personality. Being a vegan is a lot more than just wanting to save livestock, it’s not the sole solution that will help. Going out to the farms and doing work will help the animals’ conditions, but solely being vegan entirely helps it, there’s a lot more to being vegan than just that.
Another misconception is that some people believe being vegan means you are automatically healthy and that is not the case. It’s something you have to do a lot of research on and its not an easy thing. You don’t just eat salads, you have to get some sort of protein, proper nutrients, vitamins, you have to create your own diet plan and it has to include alternatives of everything you’re getting rid of.
Advice to someone in the Black community looking to become vegan: Just do it. Plan to make the change and do it, it’s not that bad. Have a plan for how long you want to be vegan, decide if it’s a lifelong commitment or a certain amount of time.
I didn’t expect this to be a lifelong thing and I will probably eventually go back to being vegetarian because I am not going to lie I do miss cheese. Nothing else matters because at the end of the day, it is what’s going inside your body and what you believe is healthy for you.
Wes Brooks, 31, Detroit
Became Vegan: Age 24
On his choice to become vegan: A specific event that solidified my decision to embrace veganism was when I was watching a video about how food, especially meat, is processed in America – from fish farms, turkey farms, chicken farms, anything that basically produces meat.
It turned me off from meat completely after seeing how the animals were treated and what the process of getting the meat was actually like. I took gradual steps into becoming vegan. It first started with me not eating pork, eventually going to stop eating beef, and after that, fish and chicken.
My decision to become vegan has been well received by my family, friends, and community. During Thanksgiving and cookouts, I am always asked if I want anything special prepared or if I want to bring any dish myself, so I think that they receive my lifestyle very well. My wife also cooks separate meals even though she is not vegan herself.
Challenges he has faced: The challenges that I faced most, mainly towards the beginning of my vegan journey, was finding food options at restaurants and grocery stores. Later on, after a few years of being vegan, I noticed more places, restaurants, and grocery stores had gained more options, which allowed me to expand the things that I eat. The price of any vegan options is also a little bit more expensive than stuff eaten regularly and is not commonly found in small or neighborhood grocery stores, causing me to go out to big grocery stores like Meijers and Kroger. No specific health issues or concerns influenced my decision besides being conscious and aware of what I put in my body. Becoming vegan I noticed my weight stayed the same, I was slimmer. I also gained a lot more energy and felt good about myself mentally and physically.
How do you think veganism impacts the Black community: I think veganism could contribute to a positive change in the Black community allowing people to be more healthy or help decrease health issues. I also think people will be more concerned about where their food comes from and could maybe decide to grow their own food and produce more community gardens and healthier meals at schools and at home.
I also think this can help produce healthier options at local grocery stores. Many people in neighborhood communities cannot afford these expensive vegan options, so educating people on these options can help make them less expensive and keep people aware of how available it is to the Black community and what they are putting in their bodies.
Misconceptions about being vegan: Misconceptions I would like to dispel or address is that when you’re vegan, you’ll lack proteins or nutrients needed. Through all of my years of being vegan, no doctor has ever told me that I lack any of those things. There are many options besides eating meat for you to get those proteins and other vitamins. I also think that people believe that you need those things like meat to have energy and that’s also not true.
Advice to someone in the Black community looking to become vegan: Some advice I would give is that it may be hard to find many vegan options in your local grocery stores and they may be more expensive, but it is worth the time, effort and money.
If you want to live healthier and know what you’re putting in your body I would recommend a vegan lifestyle. I would also recommend talking to their doctor to make sure they have a good plan and if they need any supplements like extra vitamins because that’s always an option as it’s something I did and currently do. Do your research and study up on where your protein and nutrition can come from.
Jazmine Brooks, 30, Detroit
Wife to Wes Brooks, not vegan but supports husband on vegan lifestyle.
On adapting her household: I am not vegan and have no plans of becoming vegan anytime soon. I feel like I’ve contributed greatly to adapting our household to fit Wes’s vegan journey. One because I’m the one that is preparing all of the food and along with that I’m the one that’s reading the labels and doing the grocery shopping and making sure that the things he’s eating are actually vegan and he’s trusting me to do so.
One main thing I have implemented is that I have reduced the amount of meals that I make. So while me and the kids eat meat with our dinner, our sides would be completely vegan and would not be made with any sort of meat or animal product. That way, the only real difference in our meals is the main item of the meal instead of making something completely different for him. It’s also healthier this way too because I know that the kids are getting more of a balanced diet because they’re eating more vegetables and things that come from the earth.
Thoughts about healthy food in the Black community: I think it’s extremely important for the Black community to seek out healthy food alternatives and healthy options. If you think about our history with food, where it comes from, and our having to make something out of nothing, nine times out of ten, it was something completely unhealthy. Then, Black people are the leading people with conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, and it’s from the food that is available and near us.
I think it’s extremely important for us to explore healthier alternatives, even some of the same foods we’re used to eating. So foods that we’re used to culturally making can be made in a healthier way. You don’t got to use margarine or a lot of salt on your foods. You can use healthier alternatives, healthier seasonings, and real butter instead of fake butter. It’s just the little things that can add up and play a major part.
On shopping for her vegan husband: I would say it has become a lot easier to find vegan options in local grocery stores in Detroit just because of how popular it has gotten recently. I think when he first became vegan it was so hard to find options near us especially ones that weren’t like standard typical tofu, no flavor, no imagination to it. Now it may not be a lot of options, but there will be at least one or two solid options in the grocery store for vegans if you want to have some sort of meat substitute.
But vegans can always get normal things from the grocery stores like beans and vegetables and things you can find anywhere. So it’s really just about making the most out of what you have. Just make sure to double-check labels to make sure that items labeled as vegan are actually vegan and are actually made with a bunch of healthy ingredients because even though something is meatless, it doesn’t mean what it is made from is healthy for you or any healthier than the meat you would have consumed if you were not vegan.
Notable vegan discoveries: Vegan food is not actually bad (taste-wise). They have come a long way, and many alternatives are full of flavor. I know a lot of people say you can’t really tell when something is or is not vegan; most of the time, you can, but there are a few things where you really cannot tell, or it is a really, really close second behind the meat that you’ve used.
But one thing that will stop me from becoming vegan is the cheese. I cannot stand vegan cheese. It does not melt right, taste right, or smell right. More power to everybody who eats it.