By Majella Mark
- 1.62M people of the U.S. population are vegan
- The top vegan friendly cities are Portland, LA, NYC & Detroit
Many years ago, the only vegan representation the black community had were Rastafarians and Russell Simmons. African Americans are the highest consumers of meat in the United States, but that may soon change. Plant based food had a retail sales growth of 20% last year, totaling $3.3 billion in the U.S. and £443 million in the United Kingdom.
Why This Matters: Forbes declared 2019 “The Year of The Vegan” and they may be right. In 2017, the fifteen most funded food startups received a total of $1.5 billion in venture capital money. All of them were founded by white people and only two companies had at least one female founder. Luckily, Dr. Sebi and Ma’a gained momentum for the black vegan movement when the Black Panther Party began to fade, in the early 80s, still having a thriving business after Dr. Sebi’s death in 2016. This has led to other black owned empires, such as Naturade, Juice For Life and newcomer, Trap Vegan.
The world is going vegan and there are many black vegan restaurants, products and influencers leading the way
On the fast food front, McDonalds (MCD +0.39%) and Burger King are both experimenting with a vegan burger option for their customers. These restaurants broad reach is good considering that the top vegan friendly cities are Portland, LA, NYC & Detroit.
Earlier this year Beyonce and Jay-Z introduced the #veganchallege to get fans to eat plant based diets for a chance to win a life supply of concert tickets to their shows. The world is going vegan and there are many black vegan restaurants, products and influencers leading the way.
Situational Awareness: Before Nipsey Hussle died, he was working on the documentary about legend, Dr. Sebi. Nick Cannon is taking on the responsibility to complete the documentary and has already met with Dr. Sebi’s first wife Ma’a. Aslo, Sol Sips vegan restaurant received recognition last year for being run by a 22 year old in the neighborhood of Bushwick in Brooklyn, NY. This is a great momentum of money making, while providing the community with healthier options. These younger generations taking on the vegan industry gives an optimistic look at the future of black, greens.
CBx Vibe: “Collard Greens” by SchoolBoy Q ft. Kendrick Lamar
