As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to shine a light on systemic racism and social injustice, now is the time to seek out and support diverse businesses, artists and influencers. With that in mind, here’s a round-up of some top black vegan influencers to follow, from filmmakers to activists, fitness experts and chefs.
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Genesis Butler
Focus: vegan activism
Instagram
Twitter
Website
Now a teenager, Genesis Butler has been speaking out for animals since she was just six years old, when she found out milk came from mother cows and turned vegan. Her vegan speeches at events around the world, including for TEDx, have inspired many activists and she’s been featured in vegan films such as The Invisible Vegan and Vegan: Everyday Stories. Genesis says her goal is to get the world to go vegan and her website, Genesis for Animals, raises money for animal rights work, including funding farm sanctuaries.
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Jenné Claiborne
Focus: vegan food and lifestyle
Instagram
YouTube
Website
If you’re looking for vegan cookbooks by black authors, start with Sweet Potato Soul by Jenné Claiborne. The vegan chef, blogger, YouTuber and health coach has become famous for her nutritious and comforting vegan meals, featured in publications like VegNews and the New York Times. As a Mum, Jenné shares tips on how to make vegan family life simple, affordable and fun and also highlights ethical fashion and on her website and social channels.
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Berto Calkins
Focus: fitness and nutrition
Instagram
Twitter
Berto Calkins is a Brookyln-based fitness professional and the founder of vegan lifestyle brand What’s Good Berto. With a focus on promoting mental and physical wellness through a plant-based lifestyle, Berto has over 63k followers on Instagram, where he shares delicious vegan recipes as well as health, fitness and social justice inspiration. Berto is a personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist certified in Plant based Nutrition by eCornell University.
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Rachel Ama
Focus: vegan recipes
Instagram
Website
YouTube
Vegan chef and YouTube star Rachel Ama has a huge following and is known for her incredible food photography and plant-based recipes. Hailing from London, Rachel focuses on creating innovative recipes, sharing vegan lifestyle tips and promoting natural vegan beauty products. Rachel’s new cookbook, Rachel Ama’s Vegan Eats, is coming soon and is sure to be a huge success.
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Tracye McQuirter
Focus: vegan nutrition and cooking
Instagram
Website
As an award-winning public health nutritionist, Tracye McQuirter is an expert in helping people transition to a vegan lifestyle and was recently featured in The Invisible Vegan documentary. Tracye has been vegan for over 33 years and is a best-selling author of books such as By Any Greens Necessary, the first vegan diet book for black women. This year, Tracye has launched the 10,000 Black Vegan Women Movement in an effort to combat the health problems black women disproportionately suffer from.
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John Lewis
Focus: health and fitness
Instagram
Website
As well as owning a vegan protein company, Vegan Smart, John Lewis is a public speaker, vegan athlete and influencer who doles out recipes, workout tips and plant-based inspiration. Known as Bad Ass Vegan, John played Division 1 college basketball and has spent over a decade working in the health and fitness field. Look out for his new documentary, They’re Trying to Kill Us, which John narrates and co-directs with Keegan Kuhn, one of the producers behind Cowspiracy and What the Health. In the film, John travels the USA to investigate why Americans of colour suffer disproportionately higher rates of chronic disease, uncovering interconnected issues of disease, race, poverty and institutional racism.
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Monique Koch
Focus: vegan lifestyle
Instagram
YouTube
Website and podcast
Monique’s brand, Brown Vegan, features a popular vegan podcast, blog and YouTube channel. She’s been cataloguing her family’s vegan journey since 2010 with the aim of making a vegan life accessible for everyone. Check out Monique’s recipes, grocery hauls and meal planning tips, as well as discussions about hot vegan issues. Monique often speaks about vegan life at private events and does cooking demos, she’s also been featured in publications such as the New York Times.
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Bryant Terry
Focus: vegan chef
Instagram
Twitter
Website
Award-winning black vegan chef Bryant Terry is the author of five books including Afro-Vegan, Vegan Soul Kitchen and his latest, Vegetable Kingdom. Bryant is also the Chef-in-Residence at San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora, a public programme that explores food, farming, activism, art and culture. A graduate of the Chef’s Training Program at Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City, Bryant’s social media channels are full of culinary and cultural inspiration.
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Jasmine Leyva
Focus: activism and health
Instagram
Website
Invisible Vegan documentary
Jasmine Leyva is the filmmaker and actress behind the new black vegan documentary, The Invisible Vegan. In the movie, Jasmine shares her journey as a black vegan and explores the history African-American food and how she’s working to tackle health inequality through encouraging people to adopt a vegan diet.
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Koya Webb
Focus: vegan wellness
Instagram
YouTube
Website
If you’re interested in wellness and yoga, follow Koya, an international holistic health coach, author, yoga teacher and vegan activist. Her mission is to promote self-care and eco-friendly, vegan living to tackle issues like global warming, mental health and social injustice. Koya achieves this through her yoga school, lifestyle community Get Loved Up, retreats and speaking engagements. She also has a book: Let Your Fears Make You Fierce and has nearly a million followers on Instagram.
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