Since the inception of Food Empowerment Project (F.E.P.), a huge part of my work has been trying to get vegans (activists, organizations, etc.) to see how our work is about vegan issues. Keep in mind, F.E.P. was started in 2007, and only now is this concept starting to seep into vegan consciousness.
In fact, one vegfest refused to allow us to exhibit as they felt our work was “out of scope” for the event, and we were also refused a grant as the funder felt that veganism was not the only path towards food justice.
Our work, broken down into four programmatic areas (vegan advocacy, farm worker justice, chocolate transparency and access to healthy foods), is all connected by the thread of veganism, which for me is about justice and compassion and working to end the systems that create these problems. In my mind, they all flow together and only imaginary boundaries, such as those drawn by countries, make it seem as if they are somehow separate issues.
Keep in mind, we are not saying, nor have we ever felt, that the definition of veganism needs to change—more that we need to be consistent when we talk about justice and compassion and that it needs to include human animals in our food chain as well. (Just a note: we do not believe non-human animals should be part of the food chain.)
We can’t just talk externally about issues—we need to also address those internally. Maybe that would help with a movement whose true meaning (not wanting to cause harm) is often overshadowed by the reputation that it is made up of judgmental people who feel they are better than others. People need to remember that humans are animals too.
Farm worker justice is a vegan issue.
The way in which our food is produced is a vegan issue—it is vegan food, right? Regardless of what some vegans would like you to think, vegans cannot thrive on only rice and beans or peanut butter and jam sandwiches. We need fruits and vegetables to live our healthiest lives possible. And as I’ve said, unless you grow all of your own produce, you have a farm worker to thank for it.
For those of us who are vegans for the animals, we know we have made this decision to reduce the suffering of non-human animals, so caring about human animals in our food is absolutely consistent and part of veganism. In fact, it would be hypocritical to only speak of the suffering of workers in animal agriculture and slaughterhouse workers and not acknowledge those who grow and harvest our produce.
And even moreso, organizations that are encouraging people to go vegan inherently encourage people to eat more produce (even in the form of pea proteins!).
Again, I am not saying vegan organizations need to change their mission statements or the good work they are doing for non-human animals, but I would like to encourage less resistance to understanding how these issues are indeed vegan issues, and when they see their supporters ask such questions, they should speak up.
Access to healthy foods is a vegan issue.
Now this one also stumps me when vegans do not see how this issue is about veganism.
We work on this issue because it is a form of injustice that is taking place against Black and Brown communities (we have yet to work in a completely Indigenous community), and everyone has the right to be healthy and, of course, eat their ethics. But also, if we want more people to be able to go vegan, they need to have access to at least the foods to do so.
So a vegan issue? Check!
In my opinion, it is irresponsible to promote veganism in communities that lack access to basic fruits and vegetables much less vegan alternatives to dairy, among other things. And in the U.S. these communities are predominantly Indigenous, Black, and Brown.
As someone who could not stick with being vegetarian (for the animals) when I was young because we did not have a lot of money and ate the food that was given to us, I am not sure many vegans understand the shame and guilt one feels to not be able to eat our ethics. Many times I tried to stick with it, but the hunger got to me. I even had friends who would bring me food—not much, maybe chips and oranges—but it wasn’t enough. I would try to not eat hamburgers by picturing the cows, but sometimes the hunger got to be too much.
To be clear, of course some people in these communities are probably vegetarian and even vegan, but it is going to be more challenging for some—perhaps from that college campus or in that community—to consider going vegan unless they have access to healthy foods. (I permanently went vegetarian when I was 16 and vegan in 1988.)
The constant talk of some vegans saying that if people really cared about the animals they could figure out a way to be vegan (again, just eat beans and rice) or promoting the concept that people in these communities can “eat on a budget” just shows the privilege that so many in the vegan movement have.
What I want to ask these people is do you eat rice and beans every day and nothing else?
Do you not understand that having a budget is a form of privilege?
Speaking from personal experience, when you work a service job, many times you are lucky if you know your work schedule two weeks in advance; therefore, you don’t know how many hours you are going to get and you can’t really create a budget. That is a point of contention I’ve had with far too many vegans.
Of course, some people can create a budget, especially students, but it is important not to confuse that issue with those who lack access to healthy foods.
So, for F.E.P., part of our work is getting healthy foods into communities—which includes fruits and vegetables and vegan alternatives—that helps everyone in the community. Given that the dairy industry is a product of colonization for many peoples around the globe and that its legacy actually harms the health of many Black, Indigenous, and Brown people, it is imperative that plant-based alternatives are available.
I feel strongly this is work that should only be done by those Black-, Indigenous-, and Brown-led organizations who understand these issues as others might not bring the same love, support, and understanding.
Black, Indigenous, and Brown communities already know what it’s like having white people push their way in (while appropriating our food and cultures), and having white-owned vegan shops and restaurants go into gentrified spaces doesn’t help either.
Also, as someone who is very aware of the white saviour complex inside and outside of the vegan movement, it is imperative that we, as those who are concerned about our communities, are the ones doing this work. We are supporting each other. We take care of each other.
Unfortunately, I think that many vegans are so used to “speaking for the animals” that they do not understand that people can and should speak for themselves, and we need to listen to those who are impacted, not them needing to listen to us.
It is incredibly empowering to be able to feed yourself, and growing your own food is just one way we see solving the issue of lack of access to healthy foods. However, given that many, like myself, are perpetual renters and do not own property (or wonder how someone can possibly “own” property on stolen land), growing your own food becomes a challenge. We have also strongly encouraged worker-owned cooperatives as a way for people to access healthy foods, as that means the money will stay in the community and the workers are the owners. These are also ways in which our communities can be off a system that was never meant to benefit us—only exploit us.
SÜPRMARKT, founded by vegan Olympia Auset, is an example of someone who is a shining example of another solution.
Chocolate transparency is a vegan issue.
As a vegan for the animals, I went vegan because I didn’t want to support the abuse and suffering of non-human animals in any way. When I learned about slavery and child labor in the chocolate industry, I had the same reaction I’d had when I saw baby chicks have the tips of their beaks cut off. And I think many vegans who use our chocolate list and/or app to buy their chocolate also have that reaction: the desire to not want to support such cruelty.
Over the years, many have wanted to highlight the commonalities of oppression but have it only go one way— trying to get people to see how the suffering of non-human animals is similar to human rights abuses and not vice versa.
But what we must do is look at these systems and see the commonality and then work to stop them. In other words, we should not see a barrier between those systems that are impacting human and non-human animals, but see them as an obstacle we must break down, and we must do that together
Now, as a small organization, there is only so much F.E.P. can take on, but we have picked chocolate because it combines two important issues: the suffering of non-human animals for chocolate as well as slavery and child labor.
With our work we can approach BOTH issues (the suffering of human and non-human animals) and show how these issues are connected.
I truly believe that those vegans who understand these connections (who also tend to be Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQ, or supporting allies) are going to be why our movement grows and probably are similar to those who have been willing to be open to new concepts like giving up vegetarianism for veganism.
We must embrace that veganism connects to various issues of food justice and stop pretending like it is the only one.
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Absolutely excellent article and a great explanation of why these are–as you’ve said–vegan issues! I will share it around for sure.
Thank you so much for your support, Becci!
Dear Lauren, it stumps me, as well, why many of my fellow vegans do not (or refuse to) understand the connections. I have bemoaned for years the lack of compassion for human animals that many vegan/AR folks have. That FEP does get it and is doing something about it gives me hope. Truly, Lauren, what you have to say is so important and stated so clearly and strongly and with such resonance! Your words never fail to make me feel so sure about my continued support of FEP.
Thank you for your kind words, Robb, and for your continued support of F.E.P.! We would not be able to continue to our important work without the support of individuals like you. We are grateful.