White veganism

White veganism is broadly defined as the exclusion of people of color from acknowledgment within the community. Social media has created a lens that veganism is seen through. White women largely represent the current vegan world, pushing out marginalized voices and stories.

The term “vegan” has not been in circulation long, yet the practice has existed for centuries. Nonviolence is an important ideology in religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. For this reason, some members choose to avoid consuming animal products. Living cruelty-free was not a concept started from magazines or online recipes. Ingredients and methods are borrowed from various different cultures with no credit given. Veganism should honor its ancestral roots not focus on the trendiness of the lifestyle. This mentality will help boost the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) instead of suppressing them.

Money is another factor furthering the divide between the two vegan communities. Those occupying the lower class don’t have the means to live on a plant-based diet. The difference in nutritional value leaves vegans spending more to reach equal amounts of sustenance. ‘Environmentalists’ pushing for everyone to give up meat fail to consider the many cultures who would be affected by this. Availability of food sources vary from country to country, therefore people have limited access to specialty items. Food is a key part of many cultures around the world and socialization is centered around it. The simplicity behind someone giving up a dish that is a part of their heritage is unique to everyone. Although plant based diets are proven to help contain the damage caused by climate change, human lives need to be considered also.

People and communities that grow the foods that have been popularized by veganism, like soybeans and avocados, deserve good working conditions. The term cruelty-free refers to animals, but humans are a part of this category too. Colonization is what brought some people the meat and dairy that is seen in what is thought to be their “traditional” dishes. Plant-based foods were more common before this era. Certain races and ethnicities’ bodies are not as tolerant of these substances, and it goes unspoken.   

Intersectionality within the vegan society is necessary in order to live up to its self-proclaimed definition. Demi Colleen said that “Veganism can only be about the liberation of animals when it also stops the oppression of people”.