feature: black vegans rock – meet the intersectional vegan co-founder steffany brown

My journey to veganism has been chaotic. Beginning in my teenage years, I fluctuated between diets, from meat-eating to vegetarianism to veganism. I’ve now been vegan for over a year and I have come to realize that variations in my diet and ability to connect with animals have always been deeply interconnected to other personal struggles regarding mental health and cultural identity.

I have suffered from major depression from a young age and my return to veganism in 2015 coincided with a hospitalization for mental illness. When my mental illness was treated, I found that my ability to deeply connect with animals (both human and nonhuman) had returned and I was no longer able to even consider consuming animal products. Vegans often highlight the mental health benefits that come from plant-based diets. My experience taught me to also place more emphasis on the importance of developing mental health and self-compassion, so we may in turn have compassion for other human and nonhuman animals. I think this is especially important for oppressed and marginalized groups.

By Black Vegans Rock, AFROPUNK contributor