Black History Month: African-Americans for Animal Rights

Every February, we acknowledge the contributions of black citizens in society by celebrating Black History Month. Throughout history, many African-Americans have shown their commitment to justice for all—including animals.

Alice Walker, Dick Gregory, Coretta Scott King, Dexter Scott King, Russell Simmons, Angela Bassett, Miss Black USA Elizabeth Muto , and so many others have chosen compassionate, vegetarian diets, speak out again animal abuse, and advocate a world in which all species are treated with dignity. Click here to read the Black History Month special about the contributions of African-Americans to the animal rights movement in PETA’s Grrr! magazine.

BlackVegetarians.org

Numerous vegetarian African-Americans actively promote plant-based diets and speak out against cruelty to animals in their communities. Blackvegetarians.org serves as the Web’s most complete resource for vegetarian recipes, resources, and information for African-Americans. Created by sisters Marya Annette and Tracye L. McQuirter, blackvegetarians.org features articles such as “Red, Black and Greens: The Politics of Soulfood in the 1960s,” an exploration of the history of food in African-American culture, and “Not Milk,” a compelling look at the racism implicit in the USDA Food Pyramid.

The Web site promotes plant-based diets as a response to the widespread chronic health problems faced by the black community, including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, cancer, and diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of black women and over a quarter of black men are obese. Prostate and breast cancer strike almost 40 percent of black men and over 30 percent of black women, respectively. And one in four black women over age 55 have diabetes.

The site also highlights local black vegetarian organizations, like the Black Vegetarian Society of Texas and the Vegetarian Society of D.C., which sponsor speaking events, organize dinners, lead cooking classes, write newsletters, and support individuals interested in pursuing compassionate, healthy vegetarian lifestyles. If you’re interested in starting your own organization, please check out the site’s “How to Start a Group” guide.

The Dreaded Comparison

In her ground-breaking book The Dreaded Comparison: Human and Animal Slavery, Marjorie Spiegel illustrates a compelling connection between the oppression of slaves in the United States and the suffering endured by animals today. Drawing on many historical documents and eerily juxtaposed images and examples of human and nonhuman animal slavery and abuse, Spiegel argues that all oppression is rooted in abusive power and discrimination and does not make distinctions between species. She compares the branding of calves, muzzling of dogs, and auctioning of animals to similar practices endured by blacks enslaved in the United States. She also asks how we can support factory farming, vivisection, circuses, rodeos, fur farms, and other institutionalized animal abuse while claiming to be horrified by the slavery of human beings. If we are against oppression, she says, we should be solidly in favor of animal rights.

Indeed, Spiegel effectively argues that the forces behind human and animal slavery and suffering are one and the same. It is no wonder that so many African-Americans and others support animal rights and are working to bring all slavery to an end.