I've lost count of how many animal rights demonstrations I've been to and how many times I've been on the news but every time I'm at a protest and a reporter takes a photo of me I'm grateful because I know it's gonna help animals in two ways one it's gonna make people think about what I'm protesting for example the abuse that animals and circuses go through into when people of color see what I'm doing hopefully it reinforces their own activism when you hear the words animal rights or vegan many people think it's a white thing and that couldn't be further from the truth but I understand where that idea comes from when I first started out in the movement I will say I felt lonely I was show up to the protests and stand with the other activists and no one looks like me no black girls but then I started googling and I saw amazing black activists who were writing really insightful blogs about animal rights and being vegan it was inspiring I realize there's different forms of activism just because everyone isn't able to show up in protest in person does it mean they aren't committed to think only white people care about health animals in the planet is absolutely false there's so many black vegans who've contributed to the cause then when we call it a white thing we leave out our own people who are making a difference growing up I didn't know anything about the animal rights movement so I was my own one-person movement dogs tied outside in the backyard was something I saw all the time neighbors and even some family members had dogs chained outside all alone with no human contact and fed nothing but scraps I hate it seeing that I was quick to say something I called animal control to people told me to mind my business but I knew in my core I had to speak out in the summers I would spend time on my aunt's farm in North Carolina where I fed pigs cows and chickens my favorites were the piglets I thought they were so cute I would say I want to Pig family members were saying that's food not a pet I would yell I wouldn't eat a pig ironically I baked him pretty much every day on almost everything so now that I'm vegan I make sure not to pass judgment on someone else who doesn't know but I know now I remember what it was like being perfectly happy eating bacon and not making the connection to those piglets I understand it can be difficult for communities like mine who live in oppressive environments to see past our own suffering enough to recognize the suffering of other animals I get it but it doesn't have to be one or the other as a woman of color in this movement I feel it's so important that we have a safe space to talk about animal issues and the everyday struggles we face to me going vegan is the best of both worlds it helps the animals and it also fixes health issues in our communities like diabetes obesity and heart disease in black communities many of the foods we grew up eating or unhealthy these bad food habits have been passed down through generations so many of us don't see there's a better healthier way to eat I want to get my people to see that we're being exploited by these food companies who do not have our best interest at heart and our lack of knowledge about going vegan is literally killing us I also believe that once the person makes the connection and sees where their food comes from their mom will begin to change I've seen it happen many times I knew a guy who played football throughout high school in college he ate beef chicken and pork daily this is a guy who said I'd never stop eating meat I started cooking him vegan meals that blew his mind we watch documentaries like what the health and forks over knives and he started to question all the food choices he had been making after eating vegan for about a month he gave in and had a cheeseburger and that was a big mistake as soon as he ate it his stomach started to hurt he felt tired and nauseous that's the moment it totally clicked for him that's when he realized that what he eats affects his health then I knew he was ready to learn about what happens to the millions of animals every day just for our taste buds I showed him the movie Earthlings and it was a wrap from there the whole time watching all he could say was that's wrong he visited his first Animal Sanctuary shortly after and he made the connection that animals are loving smart and want to live he even got involved with animal activism I saw his heart mind and spirit change and it's all because I took the right approach I never made him feel judged so I'm here to tell you two things number one we can care about more than one struggle my activism includes everyone and everything I can't walk past a hungry dog without helping and I can't walk past a hungry person without healthy I care about the planet and my health is super important to me I care about it all and number-2 animal activism isn't a white thing it's a caring thing caring for all living beings and with the right approach I believe everyone can be inspired to be compassionate no matter their background or the color of their skin thank you you