Newsday article on Black Vegans

[Guest guest]

Vegan restaurants are thriving in the black community as

people seek a more healthful lifestyle

 

By Ron Howell

STAFF WRITER

 

Mawule Jobe-Simon, owner of the Green Paradise

restaurant in Brooklyn, admits he's on the radical end of the vegetarian

spectrum.

 

Not only does he shun fish, meat, milk and eggs, but all of his dishes are raw.

That means they're made entirely of uncooked vegetables and fruits, creatively

blended and spiced, of course.

 

There was a time when a menu like his would have died on arrival in a largely

black community. But Jobe-Simon says times, and

tastes, have been changing.

 

" It's like a new generation, a whole new revolution, just growing stronger

and stronger as days go by, " said Jobe-Simon,

26, who opened his restaurant on Vanderbilt Avenue six months ago.

 

Black-owned vegan and vegetarian restaurants have been opening at a quick clip

in New York and elsewhere, catering to a population that,

according to experts, is struggling to reverse grim health statistics and adopt

a more healthful lifestyle.

 

" It's just amazing right now how many people are getting on this

diet, " Jobe-Simon said of his veganism.

 

On one single block in Brooklyn - Church Avenue between Flatbush and Bedford

avenues - five vegetarian businesses have sprouted in recent years.

 

Some observers think the health explosion is related to an ongoing emigration

from the Caribbean, especially from Jamaica, home of the Rastafarian religious

group.

 

Rastas are better known for reggae music and smoking

marijuana. But " from the beginning, Rasta people have always lived a

vegetarian lifestyle, meaning anything that moves is not supposed to be

eaten, " said Larry Dawson, a Jamaican-born Rastafarian and owner of Health

Conscious, a primarily vegetarian food center in Laurelton.

 

Jobe-Simon, the Trinidad-born owner of Green

Paradise, also is Rastafarian.

 

Vegetarian entrepreneurs also claim that growing numbers of blacks in the

hip-hop generation have acquired a taste for tofu.

 

" We're next to a barber shop, and all the guys come in for soy

patties, " said Jade Williams, 21, assistant manager at Nature's Best

health food store in Valley Stream. " The more available it is,

the more they will eat it and they say, 'Hey, this is not so bad!' "

 

Williams' father, Gerald Williams, who opened Nature's Best five years ago, is

from Jamaica, like so many of the vegan store

owners.

 

But it would be wrong to conclude that African- Americans are not onboard the

vegetarian train.

 

In fact, some say the granddaddy of black vegetarianism is African-American

comedian Dick Gregory. It is an opinion that Gregory, 70, shares.

 

" I'm the one who changed the whole thing in the black community, "

said Gregory, who has written books on the subject and spoken out about it for

four decades.

 

In a telephone interview last week from California, Gregory reported the vegan

explosion is hitting not only New York, but black communities in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis and Los Angeles.

 

He said the phenomenon is especially dramatic considering black people's long

love affair with greasy foods. " It used to be if you told someone not to

eat pork, you could almost get into a fight, " he said.

 

Gregory called the vegetarian trend " a real explosion, a revolution that's

happening across the country in the black community. "

 

A sure sign of vegetarianism's deep penetration into black society, Gregory

said, is that major soul food restaurants all around the country have put vegetarian

platters on their menus.

 

At Sylvia's Soul Food Restaurant on Lenox Avenue in Harlem, manager Judy Smith agreed, saying

Sylvia's has a veggie plate consisting of cooked greens, garlic potatoes, yams

and salad.

 

In addition to numerous storefronts selling vegan patties and sandwiches,

Newsday located about 20 black-owned restaurants serving vegan lunches and

dinners in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and Long Island. Nadine Williams

wishes there were more.

 

Williams, 24, was eating a lunch last week of flavored soy chunks, chickpeas

and brown rice mixed with vegetables at the Veggie Castle on Church Avenue in Brooklyn. " There's a demand for more

stores, " said Williams, who immigrated to New York from her native Jamaica five years ago. She called herself

a " lacto-ovo-vegetarian " who occasionally

eats food made with cow's milk or eggs. She chose her new dietary path seven

months ago in a pact with a friend.

 

" We said we would do it for two weeks, and it just progressed from

there, " said Williams, a business journalism

major at Baruch College.

 

In giving up meat and fish, she said, " There's been a tremendous

improvement, especially in my skin. ... I usually had bumps, breakouts, but I

don't have them anymore. " She said that in her circle of acquaintances she

sees a lot more people getting into the vegetarian lifestyle.

 

Few of those interviewed knew much about Joseph and Silva Swinton,

a black couple from Queens Village who are accused of endangering

their daughter by putting her on a radical vegan diet. Prosecutors say the Swintons fed their daughter, Ice, ground nuts, fresh-

squeezed juices, herbal tea, beans, cod liver oil and flaxseed oil. Ice was

15months old at the time authorities discovered her condition in November 2001.

She weighed only 10 pounds (a child of that age typically weighs 23 pounds) and

appeared to have no muscle, prosecutors said.

 

Ice, now 2, has made significant progress and is living in foster care with her

7-month-old brother. Her parents were arrested in last April; their trial

continues this week in Queens Supreme Court.

 

Donna Cover acknowledged she was initially troubled by news reports about the Swintons. But she never wavered in her belief that being a

vegan was right for her. And for her four children.

 

When she first became a vegan 21 years ago - before the birth of her oldest

child, Joseph - Cover consulted a pediatrician. Since then she hasn't looked

back. Her four children have been vegans since birth and " they have never

strayed, " she said.

 

" You should see my son [Joseph, now 20]. He's built up with muscles

because he likes to look cute for the girls. ...And all my children are very

bright. I connect it to the diet, " she said.

 

Donna and Danny Cover, emigrants from Jamaica, own the Strictly Roots vegetarian

restaurant in Harlem. Although they are not Rastafarians, a picture of

one of the world's most famous Rastas, the late Bob

Marley, graces one wall. Next to it is a poster advising customers " How to

Win an Argument With a Meat Eater. "

 

Among the pointers: Tell the meat eaters it is wrong to kill animals; that a

vegetarian diet reduces the risk of heart disease; that agriculture is more

effective than livestock grazing for feeding the world's growing population.

 

But experts say appetite, rather than hunger, is what drives

most Americans. And so black vegan chefs say they spend hours a day trying to

appeal to palates raised on non-vegetarian foods.

 

Listed on the menu at Tchefa's restaurant on Flatbush

Avenue in Brooklyn are curry soy goat, curry soy shrimp, barbecue soy chicken,

sweet and sour tofu, lo mein dishes, and vegetarian

cakes and pies.

 

" We have all the down-home Southern and West Indian-type food, " said

Queen Mother Maast Amm

Amen, the Bronx-born cook and boss at Tchefa, which

means " food of the Gods " in ancient Egyptian.

 

Some say the vegan eating style for blacks is a political act of

self-assertion.

 

" We are trying to introduce African foods and products that we were robbed

of during slavery, " said Beta Duckett, manager

of the Sundial Herbs and Herbal Health Food Shoppe in Uniondale.

 

Sundial is one of the most successful distributors in the black vegan market in

New York. It sells dinners at its Uniondale store but is better known for its

Wood Root Tonic, an energy- and strength-booster made of Jamaican herbs and

roots that is sold at hundreds of stores in the metropolitan area.

 

Duckett said she and other black vegan business

people are trying to cure " the sickest race on the planet. "

 

There is much evidence underlying her strong statement. According to the

American Heart Association, " the prevalence of high blood pressure in

African-Americans in the United States is among the highest in the

world. " The association also says blacks between the ages of 35 and 54 are

four times more likely than whites to die from stroke.

 

Last fall, a group of health advocates formed the Black Vegetarian Society of

New York and vowed to try to change those statistics. It met at the Uptown

Juice Bar, a popular vegan restaurant in Harlem.

 

" There's a growing amount of evidence which shows that vegetarian diets

for African-Americans can lead to lower rates of cardiovascular disease,

diabetes, cancer and other dietary-related illnesses, " said John Sankofa,

who is working on a master's degree in public health at Columbia University.

 

Sankofa said that while " some folks might think vegetarianism is growing

for fashionable reasons, " the trend is as serious as life and death.

 

Incidentally, some business people say, there is money to be made in the

changing appetites.

 

Viburt Bernard, who opened the Veggie Castle in 1998, said he was surprised at

how well his business has been doing.

 

" You think you would get a line that's 80 percent Rastafarian, but that's

not so, " Bernard said. " I wasn't aware how big vegetarianism is....

They're popping up all over the place, these vegetarian places. It's a big, big

business, and it's growing. "

 

 

Be well,

 

~Sunyatta

www.supernaturallife.com

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks Sunyatta,

we are coming in from the cold. If any one has a chance to taste Mawule's food please jump at the chance.

He is an excellent Raw Vegan Chef. The business is currently closed but he prepares food for events .

Blessing of Wellness , Lynda

[Guest guest]

Hello Raw Soul: My inner conversation today has been

about a statement that was in Cousen's article where he said (paraphrased,

see July 4th in Message Archive for great article by Cousens-forwarded

newsletter), "Raw foods is not for the masses, it was the diet of the Essenes,

Taoists, (and listed others)." I was thinking about the institutionalization

of raw foods now through restaurants, many, many food preparation

books, websites such as this, and that at least, Raw Foods would become

a viable option for many, for years to come. But, I was also thinking

about the millions of people who have never stepped inside of a health

food store or vegetarian restaurant and have no interest in it.

That's when I went back to Cousen's statement about this diet not being

for the masses.

Then I saw the article about Black Vegans. When I think of the violence

in our communities and all of the loss, it is powerful for us to change

the way we eat, think, and ultimately live. I have been thinking

alot of what we could do to shift the life of our youth who are caught

in gangs, etc. There are many things that are needed, but what we eat is

very important. What an exciting time to live, where many individuals

are choosing to dramatically and positively shift lifestyles through raw

food. Hopefully, changes in diet will also be a part of a very positive

shift for the different communities, or so called inner cities around

the country...It looks like it's already happening... Thanks for the article.Ashtarra

[Guest guest]

Nice article, really missed The Green paradise not being open on this last trip

to NY this weekend, hopefully things will workout and they'll be able to reopen.

I did get to Check out the Raw soul restaurant in Harlem and their mixed berry

cheese cake is no joke also the pizza and the olive feta salad. Eddie and

Lillian are such warm and gracious host. I do recommend them if your in the

city. Open thurs and Sat.

peace,

Mark

[Guest guest]

Blessings Ashtarra and Everyone,

Live Foods IS a political decision. To commit oneself totally and completely to a life of non-violence is a both a personal and a political decision.

I pray for the day when children will be accepted and respected for their unique espressions of beauty and wisdom. I cry in anger and frustration when I hear news of chlidren getting shot from crossfires in DC, in Iraq, in Israel-Palestine, in Afrika and many other places throughout our world-home. The only path to change is thru the path of the heart. Each individual must be in charge of this decision. The food we eat is food for our soul/spirit. We must care for our temple, our body as the sacred vessel the great spirit has given us to complete the work. The work is to envision and establish a world where every child is safe and loved.

keep up the good work raw soul family

Blessed Be

One Love

pam

[Guest guest]

Sunyatta.

what issue of Newsday did this article appear in ?

Lynda

[Guest guest]

I agree, wonderful article. I just learned a few days ago that Green

Paradise closed but am optimistic that they will re-surface. Also,

many folks in my age group (aka hip hop generation) are slowly but

surely changing their diets & lifestyles. You said: " I have been

thinking alot of what we could do to shift the life of our youth " and

there are small examples of a shift taking place. Queen Afua's son,

Super Nova, has a well received video called " Wholistic Wellness For

The Hiphop Generation " that features folks like Erykah Badu & Common

talking about living a wholistic life. Change is taking place!

 

Shakti

 

 

, " Ashtarra J. Brissette "

<arcadiapress@e...> wrote:

> Hello Raw Soul: My inner conversation today has been about a

> statement that was in Cousen's article where he said (paraphrased,

see

> July 4th in Message Archive for great article by Cousens-forwarded

> newsletter), " Raw foods is not for the masses, it was the diet of

the

> Essenes, Taoists, (and listed others). " I was thinking about the

> institutionalization of raw foods now through restaurants, many,

many

> food preparation books, websites such as this, and that at least,

Raw

> Foods would become a viable option for many, for years to come.

But, I

> was also thinking about the millions of people who have never

stepped

> inside of a health food store or vegetarian restaurant and have no

> interest in it. That's when I went back to Cousen's statement

about

> this diet not being for the masses.

> Then I saw the article about Black Vegans. When I think of the

violence

> in our communities and all of the loss, it is powerful for us to

change

> the way we eat, think, and ultimately live. I have been thinking

alot

> of what we could do to shift the life of our youth who are caught in

> gangs, etc. There are many things that are needed, but what we eat

is

> very important. What an exciting time to live, where many

individuals

> are choosing to dramatically and positively shift lifestyles

through raw

> food. Hopefully, changes in diet will also be a part of a very

positive

> shift for the different communities, or so called inner cities

around

> the country...It looks like it's already happening... Thanks for the

> article.Ashtarra