The  Black Vegan Experience multicultural educational conference and vegan festival had its debut last year and will be held this year on May 14. 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 special guest musicians, Official Grey Music, with  Plant Based Drippin’. The event this year will be hosted by  Sunnispeaks  and feature local talent that includes comedian Mike Jay and vocal artist  Kimberley Edmonds-Best. The main event sponsor, Committee of Consciousness (COC), is a newly formed nonprofit that empowers people through education. The COC plans to partner with other organizations on projects that eradicate food deserts and improve access to healthy food.  This year, their focus will be on supporting the Jackson Ward community. Other sponsors include VegFund, Vegan Action,  A Well-Fed World,  Unchained TV and Qi Mind and Body.  

Executive Director and Event Organizer, Vonettia Calloway, believes that educating others empowers them to make informed choices and helps us hold one another accountable to higher standards of self-care, other care and caring for Earth. A percentage of the proceeds from The Black Vegan Experience will go toward building the knowledge base of plant-based nutrition, meal planning, budgeting, nutrition services and scholarships in local and surrounding communities. 

For more information, visit  TheBlackVeganExperience.com.