First African American Vegan Starter Guide Launches

Author and animal-rights activist Tracye McQuirter has partnered with animal rescue organization Farm Sanctuary to create the first African American Vegan Starter Guide. The free, 40-page guide is billed as the first of its kind to target the Black community. It offers a host of resources—such as recipes, answers to common questions, and advice about dining out—and highlights prominent vegans such as Russell Simmons, Cicely Tyson, Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Kimberly Elise, Forest Whitaker, John Salley, Angela Davis, and U.S. Senator Cory Booker. “An estimated 1.4 million African Americans (3 percent) are vegans and vegetarians, and nearly 15 million African Americans (32 percent) always or sometimes eat meatless meals when eating out,” McQuirter says. The activist reveals she created the kit to, “empower even more people to take back control of their health, to recognize that plant-based foods are a part of our cultural heritage, and to realize that African Americans benefit the most from eating a plant-based diet, which enables us to live longer, healthier lives.” Farm Sanctuary founder Gene Baur adds, “We are grateful to join in the decades-long efforts of communities of color in this vital work.” Black vegans have been making headlines in 2016, from the launching of Black Vegans Rock, to the presidential nomination of vegan duo Clifton Roberts and Dr. A. Breeze Harper, to the NFL’s prasie of player David Carter and his vegan advocacy.