Tribe.net. Local Connections dina http://blackvegetarians.tribe.net/thread/c58215af-784c-4ffb-ad14-33881c6dbcf1#595ccc56-061b-44e8-9aa8-755982a216da 2008-11-20T15:33:08Z 2008-11-20T15:33:08Z

what you are saying is very interesting.. and accurate I feel. As for the stigma on vegetarianism in the black community: could you elaborate more on it? My initial trigger to check this tribe was I thought it might be similarly difficult for black vegetarians as for Mideastern ones (I used to be one through my teen years and must say I stopped due to sports I did - and feel fine with eating meat again I must confess). In the Mideast, being a vegetarian is being a freak. If you re a man-vegetarian, you re a "girlie man". Go to a restaurant, they ll give you weird looks, or puzzled ones, and when you order something vegetarian they might bring you egg with sausages. In the latter case, not out of cruelty, but lack of knowledge what a vegetarian might eat. I was just interested in how it is. Oh and in families depending on their educational level of course you might be ridiculed and forced meat upon your plate until you give up. It s a real meat and fat and sugar and black tea society, with the health problems (and weight issues!) you mentioned.

dina 2008-11-20T15:33:08Z APOSTLE http://blackvegetarians.tribe.net/thread/c58215af-784c-4ffb-ad14-33881c6dbcf1#041932c5-d2f7-4002-a959-32e18de45662 2007-12-26T21:37:07Z 2007-12-26T21:37:07Z

Thank you for asking it. As your friend, I encourage you to challenge yourself when you find yourself in a room full of White people and the bigotry comes out, to remember our little cyber conversation. This dialogue we just had is the microcosm of the national dialogue that needs to happen among us as a whole regarding race relations. If we are not ready to address the our societal gaps, and cultural differences, and outright systemic injustices that glare us in the face everyday, then we can not truly heal as a nation. This small step you made out of pure honest curiosity, and the expression of humility and gratitude in your final reply needs to be magnified and multiplied to the infinate on every aspect of life in this country. Thank you for inspiring me to write this respoenses to you and your question. It reminds me of a conversation I had regarding social justice work in my hometown Denver CO. I was asked to sit on a panel to discuss how the community of Denver could involve more people of color in social justice work within the community. I asked one of the facilitators of the conference to tell me how many people of color were there close friends? I then asked how many you have had over for dinner at her house? I made my point by saying you cannot invite people to sit at the "board table" without first inviting them to the "dinner table". Sincere friendships between communities is what it will take in order to realize our common issues, and the common enemy. That goes for every marginalized community out there. Black people do not have the patent on oppression. If we bridge the gap between the marginalized we can awaken the sleeping giant and answer the call of revolution which really means dismantling our system. All this over some veggies? Man! I'm just passionate about what must be done because I feel we are in the 11th hour and the time is at hand. It goes deeper than veggies, but then again nothing goes deeper than veggies because if the soil is poisoned, and the air, and the water, the only thing that's going to survive is cockroaches.

APOSTLE 2007-12-26T21:37:07Z Dustin (El Guano) http://blackvegetarians.tribe.net/thread/c58215af-784c-4ffb-ad14-33881c6dbcf1#af1a61e5-85b8-44dd-8496-a64de91aec25 2007-12-21T20:59:57Z 2007-12-21T20:59:57Z

I agree, and thanks for answering my question.

Dustin (El Guano) 2007-12-21T20:59:57Z $item.owner.firstName http://blackvegetarians.tribe.net/thread/c58215af-784c-4ffb-ad14-33881c6dbcf1#121a4bae-fc84-4535-84c3-d08621173dc3 2007-12-21T17:31:29Z 2007-12-21T17:31:29Z

Perfect.....

$item.owner.firstName 2007-12-21T17:31:29Z APOSTLE http://blackvegetarians.tribe.net/thread/c58215af-784c-4ffb-ad14-33881c6dbcf1#b886c955-3dcd-4535-a780-c1c7fd4bd97c 2007-12-18T23:17:07Z 2007-12-18T23:17:07Z

I'm glad you have not jumped to conclusions, but raising the question alludes to your denial of societal differences between communities. It is not at all about distinguishing dietary choices with race. I think it makes perfect sense why it would seem pointless to you as a white male. There are many reasons why I am a member of this tribe and why I think it is vital and necessary for different communities to have different organizations that concentrate on a particular culture. The first reason I would say is it is necessary for Black people to educate one another on many things besides food because we often find ourselves, excluded or just alienated in groups where the majority of the people are not Black. Have you ever been a part of an organization where you were the only white person? Another reason beyond the alienation, would be the cultural differences. In Black communities, our heritage in America is raised on what people call "Soul Food". Soul Food was created during slavery when we were given the scraps of the pig (Feet, chiterlings etc) and not the prime cuts of the animal. These traditions are so heavily rooted in our culture, it is simply considered the norm. Black communities have the highest rate of heart disease in this country. This epidemic within our community is our responsibility. That is exactly what this tribe is doing, taking the responsibility to educate our communities about alternative eating habits that could possibly transform this alarming statistic. The final reason I will say this tribe is necessary is simply the stigmas associated with vegetarianism within Black communities. As a people it is our responsibility to educate ourselves to dispell myths about who we are, what it means to be a vegetarian, and what we can do to save our lives. I do not expect you to understand, I don't mind you asking the question, it's not an issue. Just please don't say condesending things like "pointless". Do you think a Black chamber of commerce is pointless? Black business association? Jewish Cultural Center? Any association within our society operating on behalf of a community in order to better that community is a good thing, so long as it does not diminsih the value of other cultures. Our history in America teaches us that our community has always been on the defensive when we take the responsibility to strengthen ourselves. Everyone always asks why? My question is why not?

APOSTLE 2007-12-18T23:17:07Z Dustin (El Guano) http://blackvegetarians.tribe.net/thread/c58215af-784c-4ffb-ad14-33881c6dbcf1#07726725-c46c-436f-a183-489a677568e2 2007-12-18T21:34:38Z 2007-12-18T21:34:38Z

"I'm curious as to why this intrigues you? Are you caucasian?" Yes, I am, is that an issue? It just seems like a pointless distinction to me. I never really equated dietary choices with race, and instead of jumping to conclusions, I thought I would ask someone.

Dustin (El Guano) 2007-12-18T21:34:38Z APOSTLE http://blackvegetarians.tribe.net/thread/c58215af-784c-4ffb-ad14-33881c6dbcf1#8cead69b-3b6e-48d5-83a6-7aeb976f7d2c 2007-12-18T21:30:39Z 2007-12-18T21:30:39Z

I'm curious as to why this intrigues you? Are you caucasian?

APOSTLE 2007-12-18T21:30:39Z Dustin (El Guano) http://blackvegetarians.tribe.net/thread/c58215af-784c-4ffb-ad14-33881c6dbcf1#f8daa817-6fa3-44e2-b039-1d2ed9bded6c 2007-12-14T20:38:12Z 2007-12-14T20:38:12Z

I just came across this tribe, and am just wondering

Dustin (El Guano) 2007-12-14T20:38:12Z