Category: Vegan Lifestyle

Vegan Lifestyle /

Dexter Scott King (vegan): son of Martin Luther King Jr.

Every month should be African American history month – just as it is European American history month. However, non-European-American communities are still negatively “othered” daily in this country. So to contribute to the positive narrative – this February for African American history month, we would like to highlight the vegan son of a great leader of this land:

Dexter Scott King is the son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) and Coretta Scott King (1927 – 2006).  His father was assassinated when he was 7 years old.  His mother, three siblings and himself, remained to carry out Dr. King’s legacy.

When Dexter Scott King was around 25 years old in 1987, he became vegan after visiting a vegan health spa.  The spa was created in the Bahamas by the social rights activist/vegan activist Dick Gregory.

Inspired by her son’s example, his mother – Coretta Scott King – became and remained vegan for the rest of her life.  She was vegan for 12 years.

Dexter Scott King, the former president of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, is now 60 years old and still contributes to the legacy of peace and justice that his father lead.

The following is an excerpt from a Vegetarian Times article on their interview with Dexter Scott King in year 1995 (written by Jill Howard Church):

“What I hope to do is use technology and all the latest tools to reach people with positive information and messages that help them understand my father’s legacy and how it applies day to day,” he says.

King wants to address what his father called “The Triple Evils”: poverty, racism and violence.  […]

“There is a connection between how you live life and how you treat others,” he says.  “It starts with the individual.”

Read the full article here:  https://www.vegetariantimes.com/news/dexter-scott-king-vegan/

Vegan Lifestyle /

In Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

Yesterday we celebrated the life of the great Martin Luther King Jr.

In continuation of this celebration, we would like to share one of our favorite speeches by him.  This would also be an ideal time to inform you (if you did not already know) that his wife, Coretta Scott King, was vegan and an animal rights activist!

LOOKING BEYOND MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’s “I Have a Dream” SPEECH: These two videos express the variety of political, social, economic and multicultural issues Martin Luther King Jr. was involved in.

FIRST VIDEO – Martin Luther King Jr.: “The Other America”
From what I can tell, we still need to pick up where Martin Luther King Jr. left off. As he states in this speech given in year 1967 – it is now time to struggle “for genuine equality.” He says they accomplished the integration of lunch counters, public buses, and public parks as well as the right to vote. However, he states now it is time to fight for livable wages, sanitary decent housing conditions, quality public education, and fair administration of justice for all people in America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOWDtDUKz-U

SECOND VIDEO – Historian Gordon K. Mantler
The historian Gordon K. Mantler wrote about Martin Luther King Jr’s Minority Group Conference held the following year in March 1968. It was the largest multicultural integration of minds ever seen. “Some of the most important leaders of the Chicano Movement were present.” Also present were environmental activist coal miners of Atlanta, and religious representatives (including Quaker, Jewish, and Roman Catholic organization representatives), First Nations of Abya Yala (formerly known as Native-Americans), labor groups, and student groups. They issued a 53 page pamphlet of demands to every U.S. agency, Congress and the White House. The demands included livable wages, citizen and police review boards concerning police brutality, amongst other important concerns. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 3 weeks later.

His next step, his next goal was clear – genuine social equality and financial security for all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi_RS5e2_yU

Vegan Lifestyle /

What is the difference between “vegetarian” and “vegan”?

A vegetarian does not eat the flesh or skin of other beings.  However, they may eat the milk and/or eggs of other beings. Vegetarians who drink the milk of other beings are lacto-vegetarians.  Vegetarians who eat the eggs of other beings are ovo-vegetarians. There are some vegetarians who do not eat the skin or flesh of other beings except fish.  These individuals are pesco-vegetarians. There are also vegetarians who engage in a combination of these eating habits.

A vegan does not eat, wear or use any part of other beings.  Therefore, vegans do not eat, wear or use anything made of other beings’ skin, hair, milk or eggs (or any byproducts of other beings).