Nicole Jackson came to the first Midwest SoulVeg Fest to get some inspiration on her slow path to being a vegan. She admitted that as a black person who grew up going to events centered on meat, it’s easier said than done.
“Sunday dinner after church, the cookouts, the barbeques, where we are just gathered by food that pulls us together,” said Jackson, who is from Olathe, Kansas.
Those habits were started by people who aren’t alive anymore, she said, but the cultural traditions live on and are complex, especially when meat production is a factor in climate change.
The black community’s cookout tradition doesn’t have to change, though, Gigi Jones said, especially with all the plant-based meat substitutions out there. Check out the full story here.
By Michelle Tyrene Johnson, KCUR
