When you close your eyes and picture a vegan, what do you see? Unsurprisingly, the word tends to stir up certain hipster ideas that the movement has appeared unable to flee from. According to society's textbook definition, a vegan is a pasty looking individual who sports a hemp sweater and a couple of piercings, is slightly overemotional and
plunges their opinions down your throat at any available instance. How do you know if someone is vegan? They'll tell you, obviously.
Clearly, this stereotype leaves much to be desired. Yet, as the practice of abstaining from the consumption of all animal products has boomed in recent years, the face of veganism has changed too. However, throughout the years, there has allegedly been one thing about the vegan that has never changed: the idea that, most of the time, they're white. Despite a 2012 vegetarian resource group claiming that six per cent of black people claim to be vegetarian or vegan, in comparison with three per cent of white people, there is no denying that the movement is typically still seen as a predominantly white crusade.
Online you will find social media posts, blogs and YouTube videos broaching this topic. But several of these take things a step further, claiming that veganism isn't just white, it's prejudiced against black and mixed-race people too. Could it be true? Could the movement that claims to reject all cruelty be racist at heart? Some people seem to think so.
Perhaps the most prevalent argument is the idea that the people who reject the commodity status of animals sometimes perpetuate racism in their quest to promote veganism. Back in 2015, a disturbing illustration did the rounds on the internet; on the left, it showed a black man being hanged and on the right, this was mirrored by a similar image, only this time it showed a pig being hanged by its feet. The standard accompanying caption read: "Only the victims have changed".
Seemingly intended to juxtapose the suffering of animals who are farmed for meat with the hardships of the victims of slavery, the post caused outrage online. On one hand, it seemed somewhat fair to suggest that animals were sufferers of a form of slavery; whether they're being separated from their families at a young age, confined to overcrowded huts, harvested for meat or murdered in cold blood. There's no arguing that the gruesome realities of the meat, cosmetics and dairy industries are often barbaric. But, more importantly, there was a limit to the comparison that was being made. Ultimately, by comparing anything to the history of brutal oppression of black people, they were exploiting hundreds of years of trauma that wasn't theirs to utilise.
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Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time, and certainly wasn't the last time, that veganism would be accused of bigomy. White members of the vegan community have been accused in the past of placing little value on black lives. For example, in July 2017, east London vegan restaurant FED By Water was declared racist after a Black Lives Matter protest for Rashan Charles smashed its windows. Taking to Facebook, they re-posted a status written by a man named Ben Kouijzer which read in part: "Amongst the destruction in Dalston last night very sad to see that FED by water had their windows smashed. A restaurant that prides itself on serving cruelty-free food because they don't like harming animals is ironically harmed by 'animals.'"
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The post was met with angry criticism from people who claimed that the establishment, a representative of white veganism, was more concerned with its windows than it was about the tragic loss of life of a promising young black man, instead choosing to denounce the cause and name the people who rioted as "animals". In addition, they had expressed sympathy for the "elderly neighbours who were fearful" for their houses, as well as for the horses and dogs used by the police forces, but had said nothing about the black man who lost his life in police custody. They eventually apologised, claiming that "a lack of knowledge" had led them to inadvertently post racist content. But the damage was done.
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These may seem like regretful incidents characterised by the ignorance of individuals or certain groups. However, many online blogs write that these instances are only the beginning of the argument. They cite the black farm workers - who are grossly mistreated while growing crops, the intersection of white capitalism on the produce market and the assault of the marginalised black people who are forced to work a job that other people wouldn't, as only a few of the reasons why veganism is a non-intersectional white movement that either turns a blind eye to, or outwardly attacks minorities.
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Typically characterised as liberals, white vegans have been told that they are missing the point again and again and present a one-sided view of oppression to the world. Vegan Voices of Colour, a website which states its mission as to "spread awareness on the connections of oppression that connect animal agriculture and People of Color" wrote on the topic, stating:
"They [white people]
will often at times perpetuate racism and sexism in their quest to promote veganism or just in everyday actions as they do not care about dismantling other systems of oppression. This is due to the privilege white vegans inherit that allows them to not think about race or racism on a daily basis. White veganism erases the role that whiteness and its constructs create and promote in animal exploitation. They will often say we are “divisive” and 'taking away from the animals' when we speak on the issues of white veganism but nothing could be farther from the truth."
If it is true that anyone who speaks out about white veganism gets accused of sowing discord into the movement, that's all the more reason to listen up now. While racism in veganism isn't a problem in society that you or I would think about, the multitude of material online and statements from minority members suggests that it is an issue and one that needs to be solved.
