The Black Vegan Experience multicultural educational conference scheduled to debut last year will be held on May 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This celebration of African American ancestry and networking event was born in November 2019 during a Vitamix demonstration and conversation between a vegan teacher, vegan nurse, vegan nutritionist and naturopathic physician. They created an educational platform to address the medical concerns in the Black community and remove the stereotypes attached to veganism and Black culture.

Keynote speaker Dr. Milton Mills, featured in documentaries What the Health? and The Invisible Vegan, with producer Jasmine Leyva, will speak about plant-based living. There will also be a special virtual guest appearance by Tabitha Brown. The event sponsor, Committee of Consciousness (COC), is a newly formed nonprofit organization that empowers people through education. A percentage of the proceeds from The Black Vegan Experience will go toward building the knowledge base of plant-based nutrition, meal planning, budgeting and related nutrition services in the local community.

Executive Director and Event Coordinator, Vonettia Calloway, believes that educating others empowers them to make informed choices and helps us all hold each other accountable to higher standards of self-care and caring for Earth. The COC plans to partner with other organizations on projects that eradicate food deserts and improve access to healthy food. By the end of 2021, COC hopes to provide transportation for families needing access to healthier food, one-on-one and group nutrition consultations, referrals to affordable health care and health and wellness workshops within the community.

Location: Outside the Flying Squirrels Stadium at 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. and online. For more information, call 804-571-6689 or visit TheBlackVeganExperience.net.