This week The Bearded Vegans continue their winter break interview series with the prolific vegan food justice activist Brenda Sanders. Having founded or co-founded The Afro Vegan Society, Thrive Vegan Community Center, The Greener Kitchen/PEP Foods, Better Health Better Life and Vegan Soulfest, we aren’t entirely sure how Brenda finds the time in the day to get everything done but we are thankful she took some time out of her busy schedule to sit down and talk with us. We discuss her journey to veganism, why health-motivated veganism can be considered a revolutionary act within marginalized communities, negative experiences in the mainstream animal rights movement, building local community and much much more!

Support Thrive Vegan Community Center on GoFundMe

Support Brenda Sanders on Patreon

The Food:

Ramen Hood (New York, NY)

Arles & Boggs(Wallingford, CT)

The Links:

LuLu & The Lobster – PROFESSIONAL TRAINING: HOW SYSTEMIC RACISM AND ANTI-BLACKNESS AFFECT ANIMAL ADVOCACY

Afro Vegan Society

Thrive Vegan Community Center

The Greener Kitchen

Vegan Soulfest

Better Health Better Life

This week Paul and Andy kick off their winter break interview series with the one and only Mr. Hip! Mr. Hip is a vegan hip hop artist whose latest release, Vegan Paradise, is a fully vegan hip hop album. They talk about his transition to veganism, the recording and creative process, finding a way to use his talents to help animals, engaging in self care and much more.

The Food:

 Fox & Fig Cafe (Savannah, GA)

Arles & Bogs (Wallingford, CT)

The Links:

Mr Hip – Website– Bandcamp– iTunes– Instagram– Facebook

As the holidays approach, it is time to dig deep into the icy cold depths of the mailbag where we will answer your questions, comments, and concerns. This time we discuss how to fend off feeling discouraged, companies blending plant based protein into animal flesh based products as a means of reducing the amount of animals killed for food, and whether or not we want problematic people to go vegan, among many many other topics. Did we answer your question? Stay tuned to find out!

The Food:

German Schnitzle Haus (Jacksonville, FL)

The Links:

Higher temperatures increase suicide rates in the United States and Mexico (Nature)

Climate change already causing increases in stress, depression and negative mental health, study shows (Independent)

Better Meat Co’s Flexitarian Sausages. 

4th annual Yukon Innovation Prize winners say they want to disrupt fur industry(CBC)

This week The Bearded Vegans are so pleased to bring you their final live episode of the year. This time, they set up shop at the Atlanta Vegfest and bring on the incomparable JL Fields to help answer a number of listener emails and audience questions. Most notably they ask whether veganism should be intrinsically linked to the plastic-free movement and whether the passing of Prop 12 is something to celebrate. The proposition potentially creates a cage-free California, but at what cost? Would the beautiful bearded boys personally vote for it? Would they spend time advocating for it? Stay tuned to find out!

The Food:

The Grit(Athens, GA)

JL Fields: Website– Instagram– Facebook

This week The Bearded Vegans are pleased to bring you an interview with Mark Hawthorne, author of Striking At The Roots: A Practical Guide To Animal Activism. The formative text for many activists that explores the vast array of grassroots activism at our disposal was released 10 years ago and is receiving an update to reflect the changing methods and technology that have evolved since its initial release. We ask what even is activism, is it okay to criticize other activists, does one need to be an activist in order to be vegan, the importance of self care and much much more.

Plus Paul and Andy discuss the news, including the greyhound racing ban in Florida and the drop in people willing to take jobs in slaughterhouses.

The Food:

Reggae Shack(Gainesville, FL)

Buttafly Kisses(Atlanta, GA)

The Links:

Thousands Of Ex-Racing Greyhounds Will Need Homes Soon. Here’s How To Help. (Huffington Post)

What will happen to greyhounds if voters ban racing in Florida?(News 4 Jax)

Abattoir staff shortages threaten Christmas sales(Farmer’s Weekly)

Interview:

Mark Hawthorne – WEBSITE– INSTAGRAM– FACEBOOK– TWITTER