Today on the Greenhero podcast, Rikard is with Amy Quichiz, speaker, activist, and founder of Veggie Mijas, a community for vegans and people interested in plant-based eating that have marginalized identities and or experience with food insecurity and food apartheid, working primarily with vegans of color and people from the LGBT community. Amy grew up in Queens where access to healthy food options was virtually non-existent. In reality, the only choices were fast-food or other non-nutritious foods. When she went to college and started to learn about Women and Gender studies, she began to open her eyes to veganism, its accessibility to people of color, and the shared experience of people like herself.  When Amy tried to enter vegan spaces, she found that they were extremely white, both in race and in consciousness, which is and was very problematic. Many people who grew up in a privileged environment have had constant access to vegan-friendly food options and have developed a gatekeeping, near policing mentality towards veganism, spending more time in judgment than not. In addition, they weren’t able to see how versions of protests, such as locking themselves in cages, were triggering to many communities. The intersectionalities of what is considered ethical consumption, what is a ‘choice,’ and the foods available around communities that are predominantly people of color aren’t acknowledged in these spaces.  Accessibility missing from major panels and other platforms is now a major driver of Vegie Mijas’ mission. Originally started as a page to collect affordable, easy vegan recipes, Veggie Mijas grew into a way to share recipes from all over the world, developing a family of vegans, who Amy noticed were from marginalized communities. After a massively successful pot-luck attended by more than 35 Veggie Mijas group members, people across the country did the same, opening chapters in Oakland, Chicago, LA, and more.  There are a variety of reasons people join the Veggie Mijas collective, especially when members come from such a wide span of experiences. Yes, food accessibility is a big part of everyone’s mindset, but environmental reasons, as well as providing a judgment-free space to transition to veganism make Veggie Mijas home for so many people. It’s about being comfortable, understanding cultural and ancestral foods, and honoring them.  Giving people language is important in veganism, Amy says. It’s about educating people on the foods they already eat and giving people ownership of what they’re eating.  Things you’ll learn Vegan food options are not accessible to all communities in the same way. Marginalized communities often have little to no access to healthy food options.  Vegan spaces can be dominated by a judgemental mentality and can become problematic in their ignorance of others’ lived experiences.  It’s important to provide people with language to describe what they may already be doing. Many cultural foods are already plant-based.  Links and Social @veggiemijas https://www.veggiemijas.com/