Just last month, a piece in The Washington Post highlighted that African Americans are the fastest growing vegan demographic. In fact, while only around three percent of Americans identify as vegan, that number nearly triples for African Americans to eight percent.

Even so, we live in a time when Black women are inordinately affected by illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Consider this: while heart disease is the number one killer of women in America, it’s Black women who suffer from it the most – one in two African American women over 20 have some form of heart disease. Black women are more likely to develop diabetes and they experience more instances of stroke. Though there are myriad of reasons for the prevalence of these diseases, all of them can be exacerbated or prevented by diet.

It’s with this in mind that Tracye McQuirter, a nutritionist (and a vegan for more than 30 years), is launching her groundbreaking new campaign called 10,000 Black Vegan Women.

Your dinner is more powerful than your DNA. It’s about your greens, not your genes.

Tracye McQuirter, MPH

Drawing from her decades of experience, McQuirter is set to guide thousands of Black women towards veganism through cooking videos, meal plans, nutrition tips, and more. The program officially kicks off in May, but in the meantime those interested can get a head start by downloading her weekend 2-Day Meal Plan.

The 10,000 Black Vegan Women program is also totally free, making it accessible to all.

Though Black Americans are more likely to be vegan, the mainstream media often perpetuates inaccurate stereotypes of veganism being a white lifestyle of affluence. An essential documentary that explores this, The Invisible Vegan, was released last year. Now, thanks to McQuirter’s efforts, we can expect even more Black Americans to move away from eating meat, dairy, and eggs and, instead, embrace a healthy, compassionate, and sustainable vegan lifestyle.

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Main image: Instagram/byanygreens