The Sistah Vegan Project

19 Jun 2013

“Come on, y’all know Black women be ashy and can’t grow their hair”: Unlearning ‘ugly’ myths about Black hair and skin

Growing up, I experienced a lot of women of color telling me that Black women ‘just can’t grow hair.’ I never doubted this, as I thought that that was true, as my hair never seemed to grow. In addition, I thought us Black folk were just supposed to have not only have hair growth problems , but always ‘be ashy’ and have ‘dry looking’ skin. Why did I accept such a myth, which seemed to be more about harboring internalized racism about the ‘lack of natural beauty’ of Black women, than it did with any ‘real’ facts. I remember one day at Sally’s, hearing two black females working there, joking about how black women are always ashy and that we can’t grown our hair to saves our lives. I was in my early 20s and perhaps it was because I had finally been introduced to bell hooks (LOL)– but their comments were quite upsetting and infuriating to me. Why did so many of us think this way about ourselves? However, little did I know that a year or two later, this was indeed a myth and I could   ‘easily’ achieve glowing skin and strong healthy hair with a change of lifestyle through a plant-based diet and hair/skin care regiment. I want to share this wisdom and my experiences with you. Will you join me?

My name is  Dr. A. Breeze Harper of the Sistah Vegan Project. I have been complimented often about how much my hair grows and how much my skin glows. I do not go to hair salons, spas, and nor have I worn make-up for about 18 years. I have also been asked for years, to offer quick and basic classes to teach women my secrets. Well, I have finally decided that I feel comfortable enough to transition the Sistah Vegan Project into a non-profit and start offering basic interactive webinars that teach you what I have learned. Even though all are welcomed to attend, this particular course will be focused on the specific needs of Black women and girls.

PhotoBreeze

Dr. A. Breeze Harper without make-up, May 2013.

Growing your hair and having a natural (i.e. afro) is possible through holistic methods. In this webinar, I will teach you what foods and herbs you can take, as well as put on your hair and scalp, that will help your hair grow, become stronger, and healthier.  I will also focus a portion of this webinar to growing you hair back, after giving birth. Postpartum hair loss is all too common amongst women. I know women who had children 2 or 3 years ago and continue to have hair loss and thinning problems. With a few tips from me, they were able to grow their hair back.The second part of this webinar will teach you about the herbs, foods, and topical treatments I use to achieve glowing and healthy skin. I was able to cure my ‘incurable’ eczema and tackel my constantly dry and ashy skin.

Date: June 30, 2013 Time: 10:00 am PST

Cost: $30.00

Spaces Left: 27 out of 30.

Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes (approximately)

Technology requirements: a computer with a fast internet connection and a free WebEx account (my webinars are hosted through WebEx, so if you don’t want to call a regular phone number to access it and then pay per minute, you can join the webinar with a password via a free WebEx account). You should have speakers or headphone to hear. I will be using video and audio so participants will be able to see and hear me present. The webinar will be recorded and available to access for free for you who have registered, to refer to as long as you desire. There will be Q&A at the end.

How to pay: please sent payment to my PayPal account. My email associated with that account is breezeharper (at) gmail (dot) com. In the memo field please type in “hairjune2013”

About the Instructor: Dr. A. Breeze Harper is the director and founder of the Sistah Vegan Project, a organization dedicated to critical race feminist perspectives on veganism, as seen through the collective experiences of Black North American females. Dr. Harper started the project in 2005. She holds degrees from Dartmouth College, Harvard University, and University of California-Davis. Her innovative ability to integrate the use of educational technologies to analyze Black female vegans food and health philosophies earned her the Dean’s Award from Harvard University in 2007 for her Master Thesis work: this is an honor only bestowed upon one candidate per program.

Dr. Harper’s knowledge about diversity within the field of food and wellness has marked her as a highly sought after paid consultant and speaker for many American universities. She has given many keynote addresses including at Boston University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Oregon, and Southwestern University. She teaches students, faculty, and staff how and why people have unique relationships to food and wellness and how these relationships are impacted by race, socio-economic class, gender, sexuality, and ability. She has published extensively, including Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak on Food, Identity, Health and Society (Lantern Books 2010). She graduated summa cum-laude from University of California-Davis with a PhD in critical geographies of race and food.

Disclaimer: I am not a certified practitioner or medical doctor. Please consult with your practitioner before trying any of the foods or herbs that I recommend.

Posted by Breeze Harper in Black Females and Vegan Lifestyle Resources, Health and Healing, Natural Haircare (Animal-Free) and tagged , , , | Leave a Comment
18 Jun 2013
1 Comment

“Come on, y’all know Black women be ashy and can’t grow their hair”: Unlearning ‘ugly’ myths about Black skin and hair

Growing up, I experienced a lot of women of color telling me that Black women ‘just can’t grow hair.’ I never doubted this, as I thought that that was true, as my hair never seemed to grow. In addition, I thought us Black folk were just supposed to have not only have hair growth problems , but always ‘be ashy’ and have ‘dry looking’ skin. Why did I accept such a myth, which seemed to be more about harboring internalized racism about the ‘lack of natural beauty’ of Black women, than it did with any ‘real’ facts. I remember one day at Sally’s, hearing two black females working there, joking about how black women are always ashy and that we can’t grown our hair to saves our lives. I was in my early 20s and perhaps it was because I had finally been introduced to bell hooks (LOL)– but their comments were quite upsetting and infuriating to me. Why did so many of us think this way about ourselves? However, little did I know that a year or two later, this was indeed a myth and I could   ‘easily’ achieve glowing skin and strong healthy hair with a change of lifestyle through a plant-based diet and hair/skin care regiment. I want to share this wisdom and my experiences with you. Will you join me?

My name is  Dr. A. Breeze Harper of the Sistah Vegan Project. I have been complimented often about how much my hair grows and how much my skin glows. I do not go to hair salons, spas, and nor have I worn make-up for about 18 years. I have also been asked for years, to offer quick and basic classes to teach women my secrets. Well, I have finally decided that I feel comfortable enough to transition the Sistah Vegan Project into a non-profit and start offering basic interactive webinars that teach you what I have learned. Even though all are welcomed to attend, this particular course will be focused on the specific needs of Black women and girls.

PhotoBreeze

Dr. A. Breeze Harper without make-up, May 2013.

Growing your hair and having a natural (i.e. afro) is possible through holistic methods. In this webinar, I will teach you what foods and herbs you can take, as well as put on your hair and scalp, that will help your hair grow, become stronger, and healthier.  I will also focus a portion of this webinar to growing you hair back, after giving birth. Postpartum hair loss is all too common amongst women. I know women who had children 2 or 3 years ago and continue to have hair loss and thinning problems. With a few tips from me, they were able to grow their hair back.The second part of this webinar will teach you about the herbs, foods, and topical treatments I use to achieve glowing and healthy skin. I was able to cure my ‘incurable’ eczema and tackel my constantly dry and ashy skin.

Date: June 30, 2013 Time: 10:00 am PST

Cost: $30.00

Spaces Left: 28 out of 30.

Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes (approximately)

Technology requirements: a computer with a fast internet connection and a free WebEx account (my webinars are hosted through WebEx, so if you don’t want to call a regular phone number to access it and then pay per minute, you can join the webinar with a password via a free WebEx account). You should have speakers or headphone to hear. I will be using video and audio so participants will be able to see and hear me present. The webinar will be recorded and available to access for free for you who have registered, to refer to as long as you desire. There will be Q&A at the end.

How to pay: please sent payment to my PayPal account. My email associated with that account is breezeharper (at) gmail (dot) com. In the memo field please type in “hairjune2013”

About the Instructor: Dr. A. Breeze Harper is the director and founder of the Sistah Vegan Project, a organization dedicated to critical race feminist perspectives on veganism, as seen through the collective experiences of Black North American females. Dr. Harper started the project in 2005. She holds degrees from Dartmouth College, Harvard University, and University of California-Davis. Her innovative ability to integrate the use of educational technologies to analyze Black female vegans food and health philosophies earned her the Dean’s Award from Harvard University in 2007 for her Master Thesis work: this is an honor only bestowed upon one candidate per program.

Dr. Harper’s knowledge about diversity within the field of food and wellness has marked her as a highly sought after paid consultant and speaker for many American universities. She has given many keynote addresses including at Boston University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Oregon, and Southwestern University. She teaches students, faculty, and staff how and why people have unique relationships to food and wellness and how these relationships are impacted by race, socio-economic class, gender, sexuality, and ability. She has published extensively, including Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak on Food, Identity, Health and Society (Lantern Books 2010). She graduated summa cum-laude from University of California-Davis with a PhD in critical geographies of race and food.

Disclaimer: I am not a certified practitioner or medical doctor. Please consult with your practitioner before trying any of the foods or herbs that I recommend.

Posted by Breeze Harper in Black Females and Vegan Lifestyle Resources, Health and Healing, Natural Haircare (Animal-Free), Webinar
17 Jun 2013
1 Comment

Black women: How do I get glowing skin and healthy hair growth without salons, spas, or chemicals?

Growing up, I experienced a lot of women of color telling me that Black women ‘just can’t grow hair.’ I never doubted this, as I thought that that was true, as my hair never seemed to grow. In addition, I thought us Black folk were just supposed to have not only hair growth problems , but always ‘be ashy’ and have ‘dry looking’ skin. Little did I know that this was all a myth and could be ‘easily’ remedied through change of diet and skin care products.

My name is  Dr. A. Breeze Harper of the Sistah Vegan Project. I have been complimented often about how much my hair grows and how much my skin glows. I do not go to hair salons, spas, and nor have I worn make-up for about 18 years. I have also been asked for years, to offer quick and basic classes to teach women my secrets. Well, I have finally decided that I feel comfortable enough to transition the Sistah Vegan Project into a non-profit and start offering basic interactive webinars that teach you what I have learned. Even though all are welcomed to attend, this particular course will be focused on the specific needs of Black women and girls.

PhotoBreeze

Dr. A. Breeze Harper without make-up, May 2013.

Growing your hair and having a natural (i.e. afro) is possible through holistic methods. In this webinar, I will teach you what foods and herbs you can take, as well as put on your hair and scalp, that will help your hair grow, become stronger, and healthier.  I will also focus a portion of this webinar to growing you hair back, after giving birth. Postpartum hair loss is all too common amongst women. I know women who had children 2 or 3 years ago and continue to have hair loss and thinning problems. With a few tips from me, they were able to grow their hair back.The second part of this webinar will teach you about the herbs, foods, and topical treatments I use to achieve glowing and healthy skin. I was able to cure my ‘incurable’ eczema and tackel my constantly dry and ashy skin.

Date: June 30, 2013 Time: 10:00 am PST

Cost: $30.00

Spaces Left: 28 out of 30.

Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes (approximately)

Technology requirements: a computer with a fast internet connection and a free WebEx account (my webinars are hosted through WebEx, so if you don’t want to call a regular phone number to access it and then pay per minute, you can join the webinar with a password via a free WebEx account). You should have speakers or headphone to hear. I will be using video and audio so participants will be able to see and hear me present. The webinar will be recorded and available to access for free for you who have registered, to refer to as long as you desire. There will be Q&A at the end.

How to pay: please sent payment to my PayPal account. My email associated with that account is breezeharper (at) gmail (dot) com. In the memo field please type in “hairjune2013”

About the Instructor: Dr. A. Breeze Harper is the director and founder of the Sistah Vegan Project, a organization dedicated to critical race feminist perspectives on veganism, as seen through the collective experiences of Black North American females. Dr. Harper started the project in 2005. She holds degrees from Dartmouth College, Harvard University, and University of California-Davis. Her innovative ability to integrate the use of educational technologies to analyze Black female vegans food and health philosophies earned her the Dean’s Award from Harvard University in 2007 for her Master Thesis work: this is an honor only bestowed upon one candidate per program.

Dr. Harper’s knowledge about diversity within the field of food and wellness has marked her as a highly sought after paid consultant and speaker for many American universities. She has given many keynote addresses including at Boston University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Oregon, and Southwestern University. She teaches students, faculty, and staff how and why people have unique relationships to food and wellness and how these relationships are impacted by race, socio-economic class, gender, sexuality, and ability. She has published extensively, including Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak on Food, Identity, Health and Society (Lantern Books 2010). She graduated summa cum-laude from University of California-Davis with a PhD in critical geographies of race and food.

Disclaimer: I am not a certified practitioner or medical doctor. Please consult with your practitioner before trying any of the foods or herbs that I recommend.

Posted by Breeze Harper in Baby Body and Health Care, Upcoming Events, Webinar and tagged , , , ,
15 Jun 2013
1 Comment

‘Vegan’ shaming pregnant women for being ‘irresponsible’ for eating a well planned vegan diet

Yesterday, I received an email from a very frustrated pregnant vegan.
She gave me permission to share it. I invite you to read it and then read my response because I know this woman is not the only one who has dealt, is dealing, or will deal with such ignorance and ‘vegan shaming’ during pregnancy.

From: “L——-
Date: Jun 14, 2013 6:44 PM
Subject: Vegan Pregnancy
To:

Cc:

Hi there –

I found your information while doing some stress-googling related to my experience of being nutrition-shamed by midwives today. I’m a long-time vegan, and I want to have a homebirth. I have never, ever been as food-shamed as today, when I interviewed midwives, and I used to weigh 100 lbs more than I do now.

I knew I was getting into trouble when I walked in the door and saw a Weston Price book on the coffee table, and should have walked out right then and there. But I live in a relatively small community, and there aren’t many options for homebirth midwives, so I went ahead, and was told I was intentionally putting myself into a high-risk category by not eating animal protein. Not just told, but grilled, accused, shamed, demeaned, patronized, ridiculed, and dismissed. Not just by the first midwife. But also by the only two others in town who do homebirths. Got the trifecta! Like I said, I used to be fat. I have been fat-shamed with the best of them. And nothing, nothing at all has made me feel worse than that did today.

If the midwives are this bad, an OB/GYN will be worse. What can I do? What can I say? How can I defend myself and my diet and my choices? Do I have to move? Do you have any tools to use against this, or am I getting sent all the way out to vegan pasture to have an unsupervised homebirth?!

Your writing has made me feel much better today, and I appreciate you eternally for it.

Many thanks,
L——

——–

Dear L——

I am very sorry for such a dreadful experience. Their response is simply a reflection of ignorance and fear. I am just wondering what the midwives based their ‘information’ on, about the ‘dangers’ of vegan pregnancy. Did they hear about that one case that makes it in the news each year, of some vegan mother’s baby ‘dying’ and therefore, they concluded that it must have been the vegan diet? I have met so many people who ‘get off’ on these stories when they hear about them, emailing me the story as if it’s ‘proof’ that you cannot successfully have a vegan pregnancy or raise a child on a plant-based diet.

How can you defend yourself? I don’t think you really need to, and it is unfair that you are bullied and put into that position– especially since there are enough research and published materials that prove a well planned vegan diet during pregnancy is more than adequate for mom and baby. If they still bully you and shame you, despite this data, then they are being absolutely unprofessional. I am just wondering what they would say if you showed them Reed Mangel’s Vegan Pregnancy book or research that shows well-planed vegan pregnancies are fine for most women.

I wouldn’t assume all midwives and ob/gyns would have the same reaction as your first encounter with midwives did. It just depends on what practice you go to. My midwives had no problem with me doing a vegan pregnancy. My homebirth with my daughter was six hours long and baby was 9.5 lb. Why would my holistic diet of kale, hemp seeds, spirulina, algae based DHA, nettles tea, chia seeds, avocados, legumes, soy yogurt, quinoa, tempeh, walnuts, almond butter, collard greens, coconut manna, and vegan prenatal vitamins INCREASE my risk and the baby’s risk of having problems!? Such a diet is a powerhouse of protein, vitamins, EFAs, and minerals. To need to argue this with any supposed ‘professional’ midwife or a ob/gyn  practice is fruitless. If they are unwilling to realize or understand this, despite being shown the nutritional scientific breakdown of these foods as “stellar”, then it is a waste of time. They are filtering their reception of this information through layers of ignorance, fears, and anxieties that most of us in the USA are taught about anything that strays from eating animals. As a matter of fact, most allopathic practitioners are not even trained in more than 3 hours of nutrition during their entire med school experience, so by default, I don’t even take their ‘nutritional’ opinion too seriously when it comes to my dietary philosophies. Most won’t even support alternative parenting decisions such as using herbal remedies, questioning the efficacy and safety of vaccines, or even supporting a client’s decision to do a home-birth versus a hospital birth. My first ob/gyn dumped me during my first pregnancy during my 2nd trimester. I had told her that I was seeing a midwife as well and was pretty sure I wanted to do a homebirth; that the midwife had been practicing for over 20 years with excellent results. Instead of supporting me, she just guilted me by telling me how her best friend tried a homebirth, ‘things went wrong’, and now her baby has cerebral palsy. (sigh). At least she didn’t care I was vegan, but still, she released me from her practice, unwilling to accept that I wanted to work with both she and the midwife!

What to do, you ask? Well, where do you live? You spoke of maybe needing to move to find a more supportive practice. I am not sure where you live or what your options are. I know I had it easier since my midwives supported my vegan pregnancy and I live in the Bay area of California. Could you try finding a ob/gyn practice first that supports your vegan lifestyle and then go there with ‘evidence’ (nutritional science articles, books) that show how babies and moms are okay on a well-planned vegan diet? I am not sure what else you could do if that doesn’t work, as you should NOT have to move just to find a practitioner who supports your choice. Perhaps people reading this blog post can offer some useful tips for what they did and how they successfully found the support they wanted. I don’t know where you live and if you could be ‘reported’ or get in trouble. I don’t know how far someone would go to think you are ‘endangering’ you baby and report you. 

Overall, this just sounds like something no person should go through, when choosing to practice a diet that has been shown to reduce animal suffering as well as reduce a lot of diet-related illnesses and diseases associated with the consumption of animal-products. Those women’s responses to you just reflect an overal problem in the USA (and I’m assuming you’re speaking from the USA) in which structural speciesism is the norm. Unless you were born into a vegan household that emphasized compassion for animals, most of us were raised to believe the myth that we humans can only live if we eat animal products; that animals do not really ‘feel’ pain; that when a baby cow is taken from her mama, that mama cow is ‘just a mechanical animal’ and she has no feelings and won’t miss her child. I thought that way 15 years ago. It just seemed so ‘natural’ to think this way! I thought vegans and vegetarians made no sense!

Even though I had supportive midwives, I understand what you are going through, as I constantly have to listen to people- usually people who barely know me– tell me that my alternative pre-natal nutrition regiments, natural parenting style, nursing  on a vegan diet,  home-birthing, etc are all ‘dangerous’. Yet, my babies came into the world happy, healthy, and fine. Weight was always in the 95 percentile or higher. Had full term pregnancies. Never had hemorrhoids, gestational diabetes, calcium deficiency (#2 was born with 2 teeth!!!), iron was stabilized through plant-based iron sources, never had lactation problems (I was like a fountain), never had swelling, never developed hypertension, and even nursed my son until I was 35 weeks pregnant (I was ‘warned’ I’d develop osteoporosis if I dared to nurse while pregnant, despite me explaining to a practitioner that I have about 1200 mg of plant based calcium in the diet). As a matter of fact, someone who read my posting about vegan pregnancy posted that vegan pregnancies are ‘fine’, but homebirths are ‘dangerous’… and then they sent me a link to prove how dangerous it is. Once again, pure ignorance, even though the intention behind it was supposed to ‘protect’ me.

It”s all relative. Some women just have to do a hospital birth, due to their own unique situation and risk factors, while other women are fine with doing home birth or even unassisted birth. You just have to research everything well enough to know what is the BEST for you. And yea, that’s difficult when you don’t have the support you need from your own local community. I know you ask about resorting to an unassisted home birth. I cannot tell you what you should or should not do. However, I have an inspiring story for you. My friend is a vegan. His wife too. They both have two daughters: 2 and 3 years old. Both were not only home births, but the couple delivered their own babies at home. So, not impossible, but he and his wife researched and prepared to do this.

Here are some older blog posts from my site, and other, that may be useful:

  1. http://sistahvegan.com/2012/06/06/another-answer-to-nina-planck-reed-mangels-phenomenal-vegan-pregnancy-guide/
  2. http://sistahvegan.com/2011/06/22/part-ii-a-vegan-pregnancy-is-selfish-you-will-kill-you-baby/
  3. http://sistahvegan.com/2012/04/24/vegan-diets-can-be-risky-for-babies-and-kids-in-response-to-nina-plancks-nytimes-article/
  4. Preparing for a Vegan pregnancy: http://www.theveganwoman.com/preparing-for-another-vegan-pregnancy/
  5. The Vegan View: 
    http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-view/vegan-pregnancy.htm
  6. Our Vegan Pregnancy: http://ourveganpregnancy.blogspot.com/

If folk reading this article, or other work I have done, if it has helped folk, your organization, your students, your family, etc, and you want to see it go to the next level of a non-profit social justice organization, please contribute what you can by clicking on the GOFUNDME Link below. My non-profit will offer webinars and literature about reproductive health that are holistic and plant-based. If you do not want to use this method, but prefer paypal, click on the link on the right upper corner of this blog page to donate via PAYPAL.

logo

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or certified practitioner of health. Please consult your practitioner before trying anything on this suggestion list.

Posted by Breeze Harper in Baby Body and Health Care, Pregnancy & Breastfeeding and tagged ,
14 Jun 2013

Call for Presenters: Sistah Vegan Conference, September 14, 2013

PhotoBreeze

Dr. A. Breeze Harper

We are having our first annual Sistah Vegan Conference this fall, on September 14, 2013. It will be an online interactive conference, through the service of Cisco WebEx. This means presenters can use webcams, audio, and PowerPoint which will be fully experienced by the audience. At the end of each talk, audience members will be able to engage in Q&A with the presenter. The entire conference talks will be video recorded and accessible after the event, to ensure that this valuable information will not be lost; it also ensures that those with internet access who could not attend will be able to access this information.

We are specifically looking for critical perspectives on veganism, animal compassion work, and self-care from the epistemological standpoint/embodied experiences of people identified women of African descent. We seek presentation that address these topics

* sizeism
* ableism
* lgbtq experience and challenges in heteronormative spaces
* intersecting antiracism and animal compassion
* how racist micro aggressions in predominantly white spaces affect our health, and why self care is a needed aspect of ‘social justice’ for Black women and girls
* critical perspectives on Afrocentric or Afrikan holistic health movement
* parenting as a black vegan

Topics need not be limited to these above, however, the above are more of a priority, due to their near invisibility in most vegan and animal compassion spaces. This is open to all women and girls of African descent regardless of ‘formal’ education background or writing/artistic style. We encourage academic and non academic presentations.

Should your presentation be accepted, we invite you to submit it to be part of the first Sistah Vegan journal issue, which I hope will come out in January 2014. Please send proposals by July 10, 2013 which should include your name, institutional affiliation (if you have none, that is fine too), presentation title and 150 word abstract. Talks should be about 20 minutes long, with 15 minutes for Q and A. Email to breezeharper at gmail dot com.

Possible keynote speakers have already been sent invitations. Once their participation is confirmed, I will post their presentation titles.

As part of the Go fund me campaign to raise money for the Sistah Vegan Project , I ask that those who can help us, donate to see this conference happen. I will be offering honorariums for keynote speakers and hope to offer scholarships for those who cannot pay registration fees. Why registration fees? Though it is online, I need to pay for the internet conferencing service and a plan that can host one hundred or more people. All are welcomed to register and attend as audience members.

Also, let me know if you would like to transcribe the live talks for hearing impaired people. I am hoping there are closed caption options for WebEx. If not, I will search other services. If you are familiar with such a service, please post this info.

Please contribute what you can by clicking on the GOFUNDME Link below. If you do not want to use this method, but prefer paypal, click on the link on the right upper corner of this blog page to donate via PAYPAL.

logo

My Best
Amie Breeze Harper, PhD
Director and Founder

The Sistah Vegan Project
Www.sistahveganproject.com

Posted by Breeze Harper in Animal Ethics, Animal Rights, Black Females and Vegan Lifestyle Resources, Upcoming Events | Leave a Comment
11 Jun 2013
9 Comments

“Living in post apartheid South Africa inflicts such great wounds on a person of color, especially one coming from a country where the settlers have all but left”

PhotoBreeze

Dr. A. Breeze Harper

(This post was originally titled: “Not everyone has the ‘privilege’ or desire to practice veganism through the lens of ‘post-racial’ whiteness”. However, I decided to change and update it.)

Sistah Vegan Project is the alternative space for those of us Black women and allies who have grown tired of PETA-type post-racial vegan politics that so dominate not just the USA, but many white-settler nations.

A few days a ago, I received a letter from S—- (i am protecting her identity and she gave me permission to publish her letter), a Black Kenyan woman living in South Africa. I read her email and it made me cry for many reasons. I wanted to share it with you because her experience and her open-heart truth-song are the reasons why I must keep the Sistah Vegan Project going, and turn it into a fully functional non-profit organization. Black women, not just those of use who practice veganism, really need to be surrounded by people who don’t force us to ‘accept’ a post-racial utopia myth the neoliberalism has so ‘brilliantly’ done to the consciousness of so many of us living in white-settler nations.

Dear Dr Breeze Harper,

My name is S— from Kenya, but I am currently living in Cape Town South Africa. I recently embarked on a juice fast primarily for weight-loss but a month in, after watching copious youtube videos, I began to see my journey as one that was broader than just the idea of losing weight for aesthetic reasons. I started thinking about my health and how I just wanted better for myself. I have been overweight for almost seven years now and the birth of my son four years ago exacerbated my condition.  I found a blackhealthvillage video on youtube about Queen Afua and through this medium i discovered you. I am writing just to say thank you so much, you have no idea how much what you have to say has moved me and changed my life.

I started flirting with the idea of going vegan, which especially in a very white post colonial Cape Town, is such a white “hippie”, yoga life concept and is not really considered normal for a person of color. I struggled with the looks of disbelief I got from a lot of people when i spoke about my journey into the raw vegan life style. One of the things that struck out to me the most, was how my boss particularly (who has recently gone vegetarian), only wanted to discuss veganism/vegetarianism in terms of cruelty to animals. I always had a sense that we were communicating past each other. I do hate the extent to which the animal products and meat industry is destroying our planet and also the extremity of the cruelty to which many animals are subjected just so humans can eat abundantly. I find obscene the amount of waste (food) generated by the meat and fish industry.   The conversation around these issues however,always seemed shallow and very basic to me, it just seemed to lack conviction. 

I have been watching your videos and I feel like I am home. Looking at veganism as a way to decolonize my body has provided the conviction I need to proceed on with my journey.

Living in post apartheid South Africa inflicts such great wounds on a person of color, especially one coming from a country where the settlers have all but left. I first really noticed the color of my skin when i moved here 13 years ago. I stopped being “S— the girl in my English class” and became “that black chic, man, the one who sits two rows down in English”. I noticed the segregation, people naturally just hang around with their own kind. I was at a progressive university, where the History department (I majored in History for my BA) was renowned for its work in studying neocolonialism and post apartheid whiteness, but i was still having to defend my lived experiences of racial attacks to white middle class suburban students. These were spoiled and entitled people: They would not acknowledge sprawling townships that existed not too far beyond their high electric fences, where people of color still lived in tin shacks and used buckets as toilets…it was altogether inconceivable that they would ever acknowledge that i experienced racism on a daily basis. I had heard stories where orientation week for black South African student included guidelines to using toilets that flushed; I could not fathom anything more demeaning.

As result of years of this battery I just started letting  a lot slide, i ignored racial comment, acting as though i was unaffected. I worked hard and gave off an air of disdain to all the white folk that dared challenge my prowess and abilities based on my skin color. I had the advantage of being well traveled (as my parents had worked for the UN) and being very “well spoken” in an accent that was acceptable to my white counterparts. I was therefore accepted, i somehow was excluded from the stereo types attributed to black people. My son is a biracial child and thus fact that i married into a white family made me more appealing to the white neo- liberal society. Nothing is more patronizing than being the token and acceptable black person, i am the girl that allows white people to say “I am not racist, I have black friend”. 

I cannot decide what is worse, the patronizing or the out right hateful racism i get form the Afrikaaners (the coiners of the term Kafir). There have also been moments where i feel isolated form the black community because of my choice in mate and my child is hurt (although not intentionally) when discussions about bi-racial children arise – these usually evoke such fierce sentiments from white and black alike.

What I really want to say is that your work has awoken something in me and I feel empowered and politicized again. I know that it is okay to talk about how hurtful racism is, and to let people know that the denial of its existence is such  an insult to a person who lives it everyday. I have pandered to the feelings of white “friends, colleagues and neighbors’” by not discussing my feelings around racism for fear of being deemed militant or too heavy, whilst the very same people have not considered my feelings when they discuss people of color, our cultures and our politics from a place of non compassion and understanding. 

I have been empowered by you to find a safe space to release my anguish, to find like minded sisters and brothers who will help me heal A place where it is safe to discuss my views. My family lives in Kenya and the US so i am surrounded by a white family where my opinions are quietly discouraged. I recall once being asked to step off my soap box as it was dinner time and thus very inappropriate to discuss politics. At the time i was talking about the plight of the immigrant Zimbabweans crossing the South African boarder everyday, looking for a better life; i failed to understand why this was deemed inappropriate politic whereas deeming the new black regime wasn’t.

In a nutshell I am truly grateful for your work and thank you for opening my eyes to so much.

Kindest regards
S—-

“I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t laugh.”
 ― Maya Angelou

This letter helped to ground me and recenter me. If you have been following my blog for the past few months, you have read or heard how I struggle with what is the “worth” in doing this work; particularly in this harsh job economy in which a person with my particular ‘skillset’ (that critiques ‘the system’) cannot secure full time employment… But thank you S— for reminding me why I must somehow make the Sistah Vegan Project my livelihood.

I have been doing this work for years, and as much as I enjoy it, I can no longer do it for free. If you enjoy the work I have done, if it has helped you, your organization, your students, your family, etc, and you want to see it go to the next level of a non-profit social justice organization, please contribute what you can by clicking on the GOFUNDME Link below. If you do not want to use this method, but prefer paypal, click on the link on the right upper corner of this blog page to donate via PAYPAL.

logo

Posted by Breeze Harper in Black Females and Vegan Lifestyle Resources, Race, Class, Gender Issues and tagged , , , , , , ,
11 Jun 2013

Not everyone has the ‘privilege’ or desire to practice veganism through the lens of ‘post-racial’ whiteness

This post has been renamed and updated to the blog post below. Click to read more :-)

“Living in post apartheid South Africa inflicts such great wounds on a person of color, especially one coming from a country where the settlers have all but left”

Posted by Breeze Harper in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
10 Jun 2013
5 Comments

Dismantling structural speciesism and neoliberal whiteness through scholarly activism: A black feminist vegan scholar in spaces of whiteness

PhotoBreeze

Dr. A. Breeze Harper

logo

I have exciting news to share with you. The other day, Trier University notified me that my talk was accepted into their Interrogating Critical Whiteness Studies conference, which takes place July 4-6, 2013 at Trier University in Trier, Germany. If you find the abstract intriguing and want to support my travels there, please consider donating to the Sistah Vegan Project GoFundMe campaign. (You can click on the icon ‘gofundme’ above and it will break down what the goals of my new Sistah Vegan Project non-profit will entail). So far, I have raised about $1900 out of my goal of $80,000 to establish this non-profit. For me to go to this conference, I’d need to have about $3900 raised in the next 10 days.  

Plane tickets to Trier are $1700 (yikes!). The conference organizers are trying to help me with hotel accommodation funding, but there is not guarantee. If I can’t raise the money in enough time (which is basically 10 days from now so I can register and try to buy ticket before it goes up to past $2000), then I will use all donated funds towards the Sistah Vegan Project’s other financial needs to become a non-profit and my livelihood. Below is the description of my project.

Title: On Trayvon Martin, PETA, and Being a Black Critical Race Researcher in White Spaces

Author: A. Breeze Harper, PhD

In 2013, I completed my dissertation work, which critically analyzed how whiteness frames contemporary ethical consumption discourse in the USA. I explored this phenomenon through a materialist analysis of three vegan food guides.  My analysis revealed that these ‘differing’ vegan guides actually effect, and are affected by, whiteness; both in its historical (i.e. colonial whiteness and Jim Crow segregation) and contemporary forms (i.e. neoliberal whiteness). These connections were successfully revealed and articulated through the primary framework of critical race materialism and through the lens of critical food studies. I specifically will be focusing on my analysis of PETA’s [mis]use of Trayvon Martin’s 2012 murder for their new animal liberation campaign, as an example of ‘neoliberal whiteness’. I will also offer how alternative vegan practices such as Afrocentric veganism  function as response to the legacies that colonial whiteness (i.e. antebellum slavery and Jim Crow) have left on Black health and food acces. Simultaneously, I question how some of their decolonial vegan logic for “Black racial uplift” perpetuates facets of neoliberal whiteness (i.e. heteronormativity, ableism, and middle-class civility). Ultimately, I ask what are the limits of a vegan ethical philosophies, whether they are represented by PETA or Afrocentrism, if they function with the moral economy of neoliberal whiteness and globalized capitalism.

During the second part of this presentation, I would like to offer how my own identity as a Black American woman doing critical interrogations of whiteness, created experiences that were not articulated in my dissertation: hostility towards me by white identified animal rights and vegan activists, despite all my social-science based research as well as ‘lived experience’ as a black woman. I would like to offer how my research was often times impeded as well as completely innovated by such encounters of hostility by supposedly ‘progressive’ minded people. I will also discuss what such a research climate says about being a Black American female in the USA who does not ‘know her place’, but rather, chooses to use social science methodologies and methods to show that the USA is far from being a ‘post-racial’ utopia. Ultimately, I hope that my talk will show how both critical whiteness studies and critical animal studies can work together to dismantle structural racism and structural speciesism.

If you enjoy the work I have done, if it has helped you, your organization, your students, your family, etc, and you want to see it go to the next level of a non-profit social justice organization, please contribute what you can by clicking on the GOFUNDME Link below. If you do not want to use this method, but prefer paypal, click on the link on the right upper corner of this blog page to donate via PAYPAL.

logo

Posted by Breeze Harper in Upcoming Events and tagged , ,
10 Jun 2013
3 Comments

Vegan Baby Bonnet: Body-painting with poop and other toddler adventures

Each week, I will be sharing toddler and preschool adventures. I will then end the story with some nutritional and other healing tips for pre-school aged children. My mother makes my toddler a lot of bonnets, so I decided that it was appropriate to name this special weekly series Vegan Baby Bonnet.

P1060520

Yea, this 22 month old may look innocent, but do I have a story for you.

Last week, I put my daughter down for her usual 1130am nap time. She always promptly falls asleep and doesn’t wake up for 90-120 minutes. No complaints. As a matter of fact, she starts singing the nap song I created as we drive home from the playground. Unlike most toddlers, she actually looks forward to nap time. Weird, but I’ll take it!

However, on June 3 it was a strange nap day. 10 minutes after laying her in her crib, I hear her whining about, “Mama, poop!!!” So, naturally I think she crapped out the pint of blueberries she had eaten at the playground, earlier that morning. So, here was go. Mama thinks she gets to change a blueberry sh*ts diaper.

When I open the bedroom door, in front of me is a naked Eva Luna and the smell of fresh poop. She is whining that she pooped… all over the crib. For some reason only known to herself, she took off all her clothes and her diaper and then pooped every where. She was quite upset and let me know, “Mama poop. Can’t nap.” Apparently she realized that if she wants to take a nap, maybe it’s not a good idea to take off your diaper, poop all over your bed, and then try to lay in it.

And then she got upset that her hands were dirty with poop on them. “Mama, clean hands! Mama, clean hands!” But no, she isn’t grossed out that she had taken the poop and body painted her belly and her arms with it. No, she was just disgusted that the poop was on her hands.

Yea, our parents claim we did sh*t like that when we were toddlers, but no, I refuse to believe it.

So, I gave the little booger a bath and replaced all the sheets and pillows in her crib and she finally took a nap.

Yea, I was irritated, but I also realized that I think I’m pretty lucky that Eva Luna poops about 2 times a day. Lucky because at the playground, I hear parents talk about how their babies and toddlers won’t poop for days. I have trained Eva Luna to eat a plant-based diet that is not only high in nutritious foods, but these foods ensure that she won’t ever have constipation problems. I know everyone is unique in their situation and food access, but I get asked all the time, what I feed her and why she does poop so much. So, here is what I do with her:

  1. Water, water, water. We go to the playground and she only gets water. Lots of it. No soda, no high sugary juice, no hot cocoa.
  2. Kale. Eva Luna eats kale in any form. She loves kale chips and my raw kale smoothie. I highly recommend it. If you’re asking yourself, “How the hell do I get my kid to eat kale”, click here.
  3. Hemp seeds. I make ice cream out of hemp seeds and it’s packed with vitamins and fiber and protein and EFAs. I blend hempseed, water, and banana in the Vitamix blender and then put it in a popsicle mold or throw it in the ice cream maker. My favorite is the Nutiva brand. Here is recipe I used from when my son was a toddler.
  4. Spirulina. I mix 1/3 tsp of Spirulina in a watered down apple juice. The ratio is 1 part water, 1 part apple juice. I only use Hawaiian Pacfica brand. Organic and seems like they aren’t “toxic” like so many others out there. Here is a link to my post about Spirulina.
  5. Pumpkin seeds. She devours raw pumpkin seeds. High in fiber but I also learned that pumpkin seeds are great intestinal cleansers for parasites. Which is essential when she is interacting with toddlers and preschoolers who like to dig in their butthole at the playground and then share the love by touching mouths and eye, toys, etc. Let’s spread the pinworm love! Ewwww.
  6. I minimize Luna’s consumption of refined flour products. And I say no to refined sugar products. These are just recipes for jacked up flora, bloated belly, and constipation.
  7. Speaking of flora, I make sure she gets her probiotics. Soy yogurt seems to be a good idea. Raw fermented pickled veggies are a good idea too.
  8. Exercise. Running around the playground 2 hours or more a day seems to shake things up and make things digest better. I guess it’s like “runners trots”.
  9. Tofu. Well, this is important. Her vegan source of protein is usually tofu. However, I have noticed that most commercially produced tofu has 0% fiber in it. That’s a no no. I have heard plenty of people tell me that tofu constipates them. I am careful with what we buy. I choose Hodo Tofu, an artisanal and organic brand that is local to the Bay area. She gets 20% of the fiber she needs in 1/3 of the Braised Tofu brand… but she can easily eat a half of a package.
  10. Avocado. She eats half large one almost every day.
  11. Luna gets Alvarado sprouted breads. I prefer that for her. We don’t use fake vegan butter. What we do use as ‘butter’ is olive oil. I lather it all over her toasted bread. I think Olive Oil is excellent in lubricating the intestines!

Well, I hope this was helpful.

Remember, please consult you physician or holistic practitioner before making changes to your kids diet. What works for Luna may not work for your kids. Everyone is unique.

If you enjoy the work I have done, if it has helped you, your organization, your students, your family, etc, and you want to see it go to the next level of a non-profit social justice organization, please contribute what you can by clicking on the GOFUNDME Link below. When Sistah Vegan becomes a well supported non-profit, I hope to offer a diversity of educational material (webinars, workshops, books, articles) that guide people through ways to raise pre-school aged children on a fun and healthy plant-based diet.  If you do not want to use this method, but prefer paypal, click on the link on the right upper corner of this blog page to donate via PAYPAL.

logo

Posted by Breeze Harper in Baby Body and Health Care, Children's Nutrition and Health
09 Jun 2013
3 Comments

The First Annual Sistah Vegan Healing Conference/Retreat…

sv

logo

Would You Want to Support and/or Attend the First Annual Sistah Vegan Healing Conference/Retreat? Please Help Us Make This a Reality By Reading Further…..

My name is Dr. Amie Breeze Harper and I am the founder of the Sistah Vegan Project. (
http://www.sistahvegan.com
 ) My birthday was May 30, and my wish for this year is to transform the Sistah Vegan Project into a passion that sustains me spiritually as well as financially. I am going to take a bold, exciting, and awesome step and turn the Sistah Vegan Project into into an official non-profit organization; it would be my full-time work. What would we do? Here are a few goals:

  • Investigate and report how USA plant-based dietary philosophies and animal compassion are impacted by racial/ethnic experience.
  • Provide webinars and workshops that teach about plant-based dietary philosophies with special emphasis on cultural, racial, ethnic identity in the USA. For example, a workshop about becoming vegan that acknowledges the realities of how racial health disparities and environmental racism significantly impact food access and knowledge of low-income communities of color.
  • Publishing scientifically based online materials about plant-based nutrition and health for varying demographics, but in particular, pregnant and lactating girls and women.
  • Create yearly Sistah Vegan Healing Conference/Retreat for females of color and allies. This event would enable us to share knowledge and build our leadership skills around plant-based dietary philosophies, but rooted in anti-racism, decolonial activism, and animal compassion that reflect the collective needs of females of color.
  • Publish 2 seminal media projects that investigate alternative black masculinities within the sphere of vegan food politics:
    • Brotha Vegan! Black Male Vegans Speak On Food, Identity, Health, and Society. This would be an anthology collection similar to Sistah Vegan.
    • “Living Bling, Going Green”: Alternative Black Masculinities, Hip Hop Eco-Consciousness, and Decolonial Vegan Nutrition. This would be a social-science based book which will investigate how plant-based philosophies are being reshaped and reformulated by Black men of the hip hop generation. How do they engage pedagogies of hip-hop, educating and mobilizing people of color about health disparities, as well as environmental and institutional racism, and animal cruelty?
  • Create Android and Apple smartphone apps and media that help you make more informed decisions about food, health, social justice, and eco-sustainability.

I ask you for your help to make this non-profit possible. The primary resources I need are monetary and would be used for the following:

A Social Media Intern. I would be seeking the help of a part-time social media intern who knows how to use the latest social media apps. Duties would include promoting the book Sistah Vegan and notifying people about my new speaking events and blog posts. Ideally, I would want to pay this intern, but would need to do it through donations. This would be a tele-commuting position.

An Android and IOS 5 App Programming Intern. I would need funding for a smartphone app programming intern who can create apps and digital media for our organization.

Public Speaking and Events Coordinator Intern. The bulk of my income comes from speaking engagements in which I receive an honorarium. However, thus far, Sistah Vegan Project is a one woman show. I have two pre-school age children and inadequate child-care help and have only been able to secure several speaking gigs each year. I simply do not have enough time to take care of my babies and actively search and network the numerous possibilities out there for public speaking. What I need is an intern who can promote my work to universities, businesses, and non-profits, in a concise and creative way, so these organizations can hire me to talk about 2-3x month. Ideally, I would want to pay this intern, but would need to do it through donations. This would be a tele-commuting position.

Resources and Funding for Travel to Conferences and Workshops. Over the past few years, I have been unable to attend numerous conferences because of registration and travel fees associated with them; in addition, I would have had to leave my babies at home and pay for childcare (which is so expensive, I just opt to stay home). For example, I am hoping to be accepted to the Interrogating Critical Studies of Whiteness Conference at Trier University in Germany, which takes place this summer. However, the plane ticket alone during ‘high’ season for traveling is $1600. Conferences are spaces in which I can share the social justice research of the Sistah Vegan Project as well as learn about new ideas and methods to strengthen the work that I do. I see financial donations or plane miles to help with such expenses.
Visiting Scholar Fees. Because I was not offered any type of academic position this year, I no longer have access to resources of a university: office space, scholarly community collaboration, auditing classes, online library services, etc. I will be applying to be a ‘visiting scholar’ at several local universities in my area. What this means is that I will have the resources I need to do my Sistah Vegan Project work. However, I would have to pay the university about $500 in ‘fees’ to be a ‘visiting scholar’.
501 C 3 Non-Profit Status. For 2013, I want to turn Sistah Vegan Project into an official non-profit. Fees accompanied with this transition are about $350.
Board Members. Once we are an official non-profit, I will be inviting candidates to send me a CV and short cover letter about why they would like to be part of the board. I will be seeking about 4 or 5 board members. At this point, board members will be volunteer.
Technology Costs. From WordPress Pro, to Vimeo Plus, to Comcast Cable Internet subscription, to Cisco WebEx, the Sistah Vegan Project relies on internet technologies as our primary method of educational outreach. However, these technology services are pricey and we seek donations that can help cover these costs.
Peer Reviewed Journal. Lastly, I envision us releasing a Critical Race and Vegan Studies journal twice a year.My goal for this year is to raise $80,000. Originally I had stated $60,000, but I have updated our needs to include a smartphone app programmer. This fundraising goal would provide enough money so I can work on the Sistah Vegan Project at a salary that is equivalent to want I need to pay for day-care, my rent, utilities, student loans, food, etc, as well as offer modest compensation to part-time temporary interns. I have been doing this work for years, and as much as I enjoy it, I can no longer do it for free. If you enjoy the work I have done, if it has helped you, your organization, your students, your family, etc, and you want to see it go to the next level of a non-profit social justice organization, please contribute what you can by clicking on the GOFUNDME Link below. If you do not want to use this method, but prefer paypal, click on the link on the right upper corner of this blog page to donate via PAYPAL.

logo

Posted by Breeze Harper in Upcoming Events

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 3,349 other followers