As John Lewis, aka “The Badass Vegan,” says, when most people meet him, vegan isn’t the first word that comes to mind. He’s six-foot-six, African American, with the build of a guy who played Division I college basketball. Not bad for someone who hasn’t had any animal protein in fifteen years. Lewis became a plant-based eater when he saw how the conventional American diet was utterly failing his community. As he describes, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic pain are killing black people faster than any gun. The issue of food injustice is huge and complex, but as Lewis tells his strong community of followers, one solution is simple: Wake up now and do better in your own life. Want to give the middle finger to the processed food and pharmaceutical industries that are keeping you fat, sick, and tired? Go plant-based.
