“I grew up in the projects in Baltimore,” Brenda Sanders said. “All around me, I saw that everybody was just dropping like flies at a certain age.
“We were the statistics that everybody talks about when they talk about the health impacts of the standard American diet and food deserts.”
Sanders, who now lives in the Pigtown area, three miles from the Cherry Hill Homes housing development where she grew up, said that seeing people suffering from poor health — and the acceptance of that suffering — was difficult for her. Her own mother died at 69 of heart disease.
The health of Black Americans is more likely to be negatively affected by nonmedical factors such as lack of safe housing, transportation and education, pollution, racism and violence, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
The differences between the health of Black and white people in the country is stark. African Americans have a shorter life expectancy than their white counterparts — an almost six-year difference, the nonprofit KFF found found in 2023.
Life expectancy is often affected by diseases linked to a poor diet — heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer. Health outcomes for poor Blacks living in majority-Black neighborhoods are particularly grim.
Sanders adopted a vegan diet as a teenager, eschewing all animal products largely because of personal preference — she was squeamish about handling meat as well as eggs — but also for political and environmental reasons.
She had learned about veganism from older Black vegans who had adopted the practice in the 1960s or early ’70s, when it was linked to social justice.
“Let’s take back control of our diet. Let’s take back control of our food system. Let’s take back control of our health,” Sanders said, summarizing their view. “In order to have equity, we have to be healthy and take care of ourselves.”
She also felt a spiritual imperative to protect animals and the planet through a plant-based diet. Black veganism connects systemic oppression of marginalized people and industrial farming’s exploitation of animals.
But it was only after reading a health study pointing to dramatic health disparities between poor Black and affluent white Baltimoreans that she felt motivated to share her knowledge with others.
“[The study] hit me hard because I had seen it my entire life, and so I was like, I want to talk to people about this,” she said. After having changed her own diet years earlier, she was “feeling great,” despite diagnosed health concerns like irritable bowel syndrome. She wanted to share that with others.
A Black vegan organization
Sanders founded the Afro-Vegan Society in Baltimore in 2014. At the time, she felt there wasn’t an organization that “reflected us back.” Veganism, often seen as the realm of white privilege, was centered on animal rights. Racially, veganism was “not very inclusive.”
“When I was talking to [Black] folks, I couldn’t talk to them with the same talking points as these animal-rights organizations,” she said. “It wasn’t landing. I had to speak my own language to my own community.”
Over the years, her group has held numerous in-person events and built an impressive battery of tools to talk to this community: a website, afrovegansociety.org, with nutritional and practical guides, recipes and restaurant listings, as well as a down-to-earth YouTube channel covering such topics as how to save money on vegan groceries, a shopping trip to Walmart and many cooking demos.
Five years ago, in the spirit of Veganuary — an international campaign to get people to try veganism during the month of January — the Afro-Vegan Society decided to launch a similar challenge in February, which is also Black History Month.
In addition to encouraging the practice of veganism, Sanders saw it as a chance to pay tribute to Black vegans of the past and present. The website lists activists Angela Davis, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King; entertainers Eryka Badu, Taraji P. Henderson and Cynthia Erivo; U.S. Senator Corey Booker and Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis.
She found that while people might be interested in the challenge posed by Veguary, they were even more excited to have a central information point. During February, the organization offers online talks, live cooking demos, film screenings and more — all free.
In hearing about the history of Black veganism, people from marginalized communities learned that plant-based eating was not just for the white elite.
“[Veguary] kind of shifted after the first year,” Sanders said. “[At first] it was like a vegan pledge, and after that it became a celebration of veganism and Black culture.”
Above all, it’s about assisting one another along the way, she said.
“We have to support each other in doing something different. That’s literally all the Afro-Vegan Society is about.”
Veguary highlights
- Live cooking demos every Friday in February of inexpensive ($10) recipes: “chik’n” wraps, barbecue chickpea burgers, loaded vegan fries and crispy sweet potato tacos.
- On Feb. 27, John Lewis will talk about his book, “Badass Vegan,” and documentary film, “They’re Trying to Kill Us.”
- Featured resources include: “Our Dairy-Free Future” resource library, free downloadable guides and recipes books, and the Afro-Vegan YouTube channel.
Sign up for Veguary at afrovegansociety.org.
Vegan Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers
2 large bell peppers, cut in half, vertically, stemmed and seeded
1 cup cooked lentils or beans
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 cup cooked quinoa or grain of choice
1 cup chopped kale or spinach
2 tomatoes, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ cup shredded vegan cheese
Sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil of choice
Chopped herbs, salsa, and diced avocado, optional garnish
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat a large pan to medium high. Add oil (or water or broth) and onions; sauté for 2-3 minutes until onions start to become tender.
Add lentils or beans and all seasonings; continue to sauté for another 2-3 minutes until sizzling.
Add quinoa (or grain of choice), kale or spinach, and 1 diced tomato and sauté for another 3-5 minutes, until kale begins to wilt.
Turn off the heat and add half of the vegan shredded cheese and mix into the filling until melted.
Line a baking dish with foil or parchment paper and place the 4 bell pepper halves on the baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.
Use a spoon to fill each pepper evenly, using the back of the spoon to pack the filling. There may be a bit of filling left over.
Sprinkle the tops of each pepper with the remaining vegan shredded cheese.
Bake the peppers for 20 minutes until the filling is heated through and the peppers are tender but not mushy. Cover with foil while baking for melty vegan cheese, or bake uncovered for a crisp cheesy topping.
Top with garnishes of your choice, including the remaining diced tomatoes, salsa, chopped herbs or diced avocado.
Serves 2.
— Afro-Vegan Society
‘Cheesy’ Baked Cauliflower
1 large head of cauliflower, rinsed and cut into florets
½ cup cooked chickpeas
1½ cups unsweetened plant milk, such as almond milk
½ lemon, juiced
¾ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons vegan butter or oil (optional)
½ teaspoon vegetable broth concentrate (optional)
⅓ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons cornstarch, or use potato or tapioca starch
½ cup vegan shredded cheese of choice
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Add all ingredients, except cauliflower and vegan shredded cheese, to a blender and blend for 30-60 seconds until smooth.
Add blended sauce to a large saucepan and simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce is shiny and bubbling. It should thicken to a soft, spreadable consistency.
Add cauliflower florets and stir gently until evenly coated. Cook for another 5-10 minutes until the mixture has heated through evenly and the sauce clings to the cauliflower.
Scoop the cauliflower into a baking dish and top evenly with shredded vegan cheese. Cover with parchment paper and/or aluminum foil.
Bake for 45 minutes, then remove covering and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Cauliflower should have golden brown spots and be bubbling at the base.
Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. (It can be cooled and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.)
Makes 8 servings.
— Afro-Vegan Society
First Published: February 1, 2025, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: February 3, 2025, 7:41 p.m.
