For Food Justice
To increase awareness, it is valuable to connect with the experiences of others on this planet. It is essential that we realize how our actions may contribute to suffering or freedom. Today’s social justice movements raise awareness around systems of oppression, domination, and discrimination. Many of these movements intersect and overlap with one another. Contemplate the relationships between social justice movements, including those on feminism and environmentalism, and those denouncing discrimination based on skin color, nationality, age, gender, or species. Yoga, after all, is a practice of making connections. The yamas—practices that guide us in our treatment of all beings and the earth—are related to social justice and change-making.
Even within the yoga industry, people may be excluded from the practice of yoga. Often, discrimination takes place when a person does not fit the mainstream image of a modern Western yogi—predominantly limited to those of European heritage—thin, able-bodied, middle-to-upper-class women. Communities marginalized by the yoga industry include (but are not limited to) those with lower incomes, bigger bodies, diverse cultural backgrounds, and those who are Deaf or disabled. We have much work to do to make yoga more accessible to groups of people who are suffering through oppression, abuse, and/or indifference. Understanding these various social justice movements—how they interrelate as well as how they impact the yoga industry—is extremely important for all yogis.
Is there a social justice movement that resonates with you on a personal level? Take time to explore how it relates to other movements, rather than looking at it as an isolated issue. With this understanding, your daily choices may better reflect the morals and values inherent in all movements. One compassionate cause is no better or more crucial than another; all are equally significant and play a huge role in creating a more peaceful world.
Speciesism is the attitude that humans are superior to any living being that is not a human; this attitude makes it acceptable to exploit fellow earthlings. Speciesism overlaps and interconnects with many other forms of oppression, domination, and discrimination. To be an effective ally for this community of beings, it is imperative to grasp its connections to other marginalized communities.
Watch “The Invisible Vegan” and “Fighting Food Insecurity.”
Additional Resources
Food Empowerment Project
Chilis on Wheels
Vegan Activist Alliance
Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Food Sovereignty with with Dr. Columbus Batiste and Eloisa Trinidad
Changemaker Series: Eloísa Trinidad
Veganism is linked to social justice in many ways, including:
- Animal exploitation: Veganism is a form of resistance to speciesism, which is the unfair treatment of animals. Veganism can be a way to challenge the exploitation of animals in capitalist food systems.
- Environmental impact: Veganism can help reduce the environmental impact of animal agriculture, which contributes to climate change and deforestation.
- Racial discrimination: Factory farms are often located in low-income communities and communities of color, which can lead to pollution and health issues for residents.
- Food apartheid: Food apartheid is a term that describes the lack of access to nutritious food in lower-income communities. Plant-based diets can be a way for people in these communities to take care of themselves and empower their families.
- Slaughterhouse work: Slaughterhouses are dangerous workplaces that disproportionately employ low-paid, exploited immigrants. Slaughterhouse work has been linked to a variety of disorders, including PTSD and an increase in crime rates.
- Political solidarity: Veganism can be a way to encourage animals to be seen as members of society, and to lobby for changes to public spaces to accommodate their needs.