I had just come inside from playing and saw my grandmother in the kitchen doing her thing. She loved to cook, but this time I was surprised by the odor coming from the kitchen. She just gave me a funny look and kept on working. She knew what was coming; I was known for asking a million questions and not stopping until I got to the truth.
“It's chitlins, baby.”
I had never heard of that, so I asked, “What is chitlins?” I knew my grandmother ate things that I had never heard of before—pig feet, tripe, fatback, gizzards—all of which my weak stomach could not tolerate.
She said, “It comes from a pig.”
I had to ask, “So why does it smell like that?”
She went on, explaining that it was pig intestines and that she was cleaning them. I said, “It smells like poop,” and she said that was what it was. That was enough for me. I went back outside into some fresh air, thinking that was not something I would be eating. I just never had the desire to eat that kind of stuff. Later that evening, when I saw the chitlins on the table, they appeared to shake like Jell-O, and I had to fight my nausea. After a few prior episodes, my grandma knew not to push certain foods on me. Once again, she bent the “you have to try everything at least once” rule. Thank you, Grandma.
I refer to myself as a natural vegetarian, because I was a “picky” eater and have always eaten more fruit than candies or pastries and more veggies than meat. When I was thirteen, my mother announced that she was going to eat only chicken and fish—no more pork, beef, or other red meat. A friend of hers told her the truth about the meat industry and that it is not healthy to consume meat every day. My mother passed the message on to me. She said that pigs carry worms and that the Old Testament says we should not eat animals with hooves. She said the pig was made of a cat, a rat, and a dog, and that all meat is processed with hormones and injected with drugs and steroids. She said meat was full of diseases because of the way animals are raised and mistreated. After hearing this news, my mother said, the next time she saw a piece of beef on her plate, she could see the cow's eyes looking at her, and she decided then that she would not eat beef again. I have seen my mother eat pork only once since then: it was at a holiday dinner, and she paid for it the next day.
Vegetarianism was a natural transition for me. Not eating red meat was no problem, since my diet as a teenager consisted mostly of fruit, salad, French fries, and Oodles of Noodles. I did eat chicken, fish, and cheese about twice a week for the next five years. It was hard to resist Harold's chicken, pizza, and other fast food as a teenager, but I stopped eating burgers. I remember hearing rumors that they were putting weird things in the fast-food burgers at the time. I was never too crazy about steak, and my mother did not raise me on fast food or snacks (thank God). She was from the country, so we ate plenty of fruits and vegetables every day. I am grateful that I never became a sugar addict and still eat very few sweets or other junk food to this day.
Right after I graduated from high school, my grandfather passed away from colon cancer. I didn't know much about a colon until that time. When it was explained to me what colon cancer was, I thought about the amount of food I saw him consume after a day of hard work. He loved biscuits in gravy and grease, fatback, and ham. He raised pigs sometimes, and there would be two different meats, plenty of vegetables, potatoes or yams, biscuits, and more on the dinner table every night. I was always amazed at the amount of food my family in the country ate compared to us in the city, where we had three-course meals for dinner. I think it was money and access to the variety of food, as well as the need to adapt to the different culture, in the city. I now understand that in the south they had the eating habits of our enslaved ancestors. Those habits are different from the American habits that we were introduced to in the north. They were both very different from the eating habits of our ancestors, who lived from the fruits and greens of the earth. My grandfather did heavy labor, so I know he needed plenty of energy to keep him going. Peace be with you, Papa. There was a lesson for me in his transition—I remembered what we learned about beef and pork, and I realized there was truth to it.
Soon after my grandfather's demise, my mother and I decided we were going to stop eating all meats and their byproducts, and become vegetarians. I went to one of her Rastafarian friends to learn how to cook vegetarian food. I learned to make tofu, gluten, banana pudding, stir-fry, natural salve for my skin, and more. I learned about living Ital, which you could say is a Caribbean word for “vegan.” Being Ital is about being natural and in tune with the Most High and all of nature. Some of the main principles of being Ital that I learned and adapted are:
These lessons helped me to understand the animal-rights aspect of being a vegetarian. I remembered seeing animals packed on farms and in trucks. They were being treated just like our enslaved ancestors. I began to research preservatives and how they are used for mind control and genocide. I began to read all labels and buy foods with the “K” for kosher (no pork). I learned about organic food and how to farm for myself as well. I started with a small herb garden of peppermint, sage, and lavender. Each year I would experiment with greens, slips of cucumbers, tomatoes, and okra. I had entered into a new world, and I loved it. I made a commitment to buy things that were not tested on animals or full of preservatives and chemicals. I stopped buying commercial soap, deodorant, toothpaste, skin and hair products, and began to make my own or buy from other Black businesses, which provided better quality goods. My life was gradually transforming, and I began to feel the benefits of the change. I gained more energy, and I didn't experience the congestion and sore throats I had suffered since childhood. This was a journey that led me to go deeper and learn more.
My vegetarian menu was enhanced with an East Indian cooking class. One thing the teacher said that I will not forget was that this is the only country that makes gravy out of flour and water. She told us that Americans have the worst eating habits and more overweight people than any other country in the world. She went on to show us how to make a spicy and delectable gravy by simmering onion, garlic, tomato, and spices, which was the base of many of East Indian dishes. The food was so colorful, saucy, and just plain good. I was motivated to learn to prepare foods from other countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where the people have more natural lifestyles and eat more vegetables. I began to study spiritual systems from around the world and found that dietary laws exist in all of them. I learned that, in many countries, meat is traditionally eaten only after a community ritual where an animal has been sacrificed. So there is a large variety of vegetarian dishes to try from around the world.
At first, it was difficult to find tofu and other organic foods. You could not buy tofu at the grocery store back then. It took determination and creativity to endure this challenge. I learned to shop at Asian, Latin, and farmer's markets. I find the food is fresher, there's more variety, the food has fewer pesticides and GMOs, and it's less expensive than the regular grocery stores. The health food stores were always in white neighborhoods, difficult to get to, and very expensive. However, you may not be able to find anywhere else certain things you need as a vegetarian. I would occasionally participate in food co-ops, where a group of us would get together to order food in bulk. It was a great concept, but difficult to keep consistent for one reason or another.
More challenges came from family members, who seemed to believe I wasn't eating enough. They would offer meat to me as a joke, and it was a few years before they began to offer alternatives for my family at the family gatherings. Many times I had to prepare food for myself, which was cool, because it gave the others a chance to taste something different. It didn't take me long to learn that if I cheated and ate something I hadn't eaten in a while, my body wouldn't accept it easily.
One outstanding memory I have was the last time I ate eggs. I was taking a six a.m. flight from a visit with my father, and he decided to make me an egg sandwich for the ride to the airport. I thought I needed to put something in my stomach, because I had a long flight ahead of me, so I just ate it. It was definitely the worst airplane ride I have ever had. My stomach grumbled, gurgled, and griped for the entire ride. Needless to say, I learned a valuable lesson: once you clean your body and stop eating certain foods, your body will not easily accept them again.
I found it a blessing to have the knowledge of living naturally and to be able to pass on this lifestyle to the next generation. I breastfed my four children. I never understood why a mother would make a baby wait while she fixed a bottle of cow's milk when God gives it to mothers ready-made. I feel that breastfed and organic vegetarian babies tend to be less fussy, have better coordination and movement, and learn faster than many children raised on animal products. I didn't feed my children baby food from the store, either. Instead, I steamed and mashed fresh fruits and vegetables for them myself. I have raised them on fresh, mostly organic fruits, vegetables and legumes, with an occasional treat followed by some cleansing tea.
I've heard enough comments about my children at the park and other places to support my beliefs, though I didn't get much support from my family in the beginning. They gave me a hard time about breastfeeding, saying I needed to give them a “bottle of regular milk.” They would sometimes give them meat when I wasn't around—especially my older sons. I never bought candy for my children, but many people would offer it to them at the bank, the store, at friends' houses, and so on. (You'd be surprised at how many people think they are doing good by offering candy to a child.) I didn't like going to the store with my children because we had to pass so many aisles full of stuff we don't eat, but they thought they wanted to try. When they got older, I taught my children to read labels and learn about the preservatives we must avoid. This made the store trips much easier.
My older sons, however, have ventured off the path. They eat some meat, but only occasionally, because they understand what it does to their bodies. My oldest son went to visit a relative and called me to help him ease his constipation after a week of heavy eating. He learned to take more caution with what he puts into his temple. I'm grateful that my second son is quick to catch the smell of animal in any food we are served. My youngest son is very proud to be a vegetarian and will tell anyone what he cannot eat. I am so pleased with his attitude and strength.
My children rarely get sick, and I give thanks and praise that they have no health problems. They have not gotten vaccinations because it is against our beliefs, so they have a religious exemption for school. My Spirit will not allow me to let anyone violate their body temples with poisons. I did research on vaccinations fifteen years ago, before they began adding even more to the list of stuff they are giving our youth, and I could not let them be injected with a live virus, chemicals I have not heard of, and other preservatives at such a young age. It just doesn't make sense to me. Instead, I build their immune systems with garlic, lemon, hot peppers, vitamin C, echinacea, and other herbs on a daily basis. They take their herbs with no problem, even raw garlic and cayenne, because I started them off that way when they were little, and they don't know anything else as their medicine. We don't use any over-the-counter medicines and go to the doctor only for regular physicals.
I was told by my spiritual mothers that I was my children's first teacher and that if I wanted them to be like me, I should keep them with me at all times until they got older. I homeschooled them while they were young, and I worked with or taught at the private, African-centered schools they attended when they were older. I feel it is very important to raise my children with these “new ways” that help to break the cycle of oppression and are really the ways of our ancestors.
The lessons grew as I connected with more spiritual teachers. Becoming a vegetarian and living a natural lifestyle opened other paths in my life. I began to learn about African history and African spirituality. I chose to wear locks to express my natural lifestyle. I learned to make jewelry and other crafts I could sell, so I could be close to my children. I made a commitment to myself to do all I could to help our people, to buy everything from Black businesses when I could, and to stop supporting my oppression by continuing to make my oppressors rich. I saw that most of the stuff they were selling was damaging or full of chemicals, so I learned to make clothes, soap, oils for our skin and hair, tooth powder, deodorant, etc. I also learned to fast, which I was told was a way to make a sacrifice to the Most High and should be done often to keep our body temples pure and clean. My first fast was for three days, with three people, with my spiritual mother as a guide. It was a beautiful and transforming experience for me, and I knew this fast would not be my last.
I was introduced to raw foodism in Atlanta, while staying with a beautiful raw-food couple and their baby. I saw the sistah feeding her baby avocado and garlic, and that the baby was very healthy and happy and really enjoying it. The couple's five-year-old daughter had seen my five-year-old son eating chips (from the health food store), and asked him, “Why are you eating that garbage?” I was stunned and very curious about this raw-food lifestyle.
One day I was taken to a large house in the West End. We sat in a large room with three or four other people, just hanging out. Then, all of a sudden, folk just started arriving like someone had rung the dinner bell. The room filled up, and the sistahs came from the kitchen with trays of colorful, sweet-smelling raw food—seaweed salad, raw potato salad, nut pâté, carrot tuna, and raw blueberry pie—and I was hooked. I say that raw food is some of the best food ever, and raw-food people are some of the most beautiful spirits you'll ever meet.
Around this time that I got Heal Thyself: For Health and Longevity by Queen Afua. I went to visit my grandmother while reading it, and I couldn't put it down. She asked me what I was reading, and I told her, “This book is going to change my life.” I felt that every word Queen wrote resonated with my spirit, and I'm so grateful to have found something that confirmed and contributed so much to my vegetarian lifestyle. It proved that you can be healthy and prevent disease, and I changed even more. I began to drink more herbal teas and consciously ate more fruit and vegetables. I began to eat a salad every day and used raw garlic like crazy. I acquired vegetarian cookbooks and herb books and began to be more creative and versatile with our menu. My children fasted, learned to do yoga, and began to meditate as well.
I was blessed to meet Queen Afua in 1997 at the African Street Festival in Brooklyn. She was (and still is) a bright and shining light. She shared her “Breath of Spring” formula with us, which immediately lifts your energy and opens up your air passages. Then she blessed me with encouraging words: to be strong and diligent and to continue on the path. Meeting Queen made a lasting impression on me, and I left feeling her presence and energy. Meeting queens who have been vegan, spiritual, strong, and beautiful has definitely influenced my lifestyle and let me know it is right. That memory continues to inspire and motivate me to grow and share with others about healthy living.
When Queen Afua's Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit came out, we started a Sacred Woman Circle in Richmond, Virginia. We met to pray, discuss, heal, dance, sing, meditate, and bless our disease away. We fasted and sometimes had over twenty sistahs in a meeting. It was a beautiful experience and most of us from the core group became certified in alternative healing practices. I later went to Washington, D.C., to go through the Sacred Woman Gateways with the Heal Thyself priestess there. That was an uplifting and rejuvenating experience for me, and I recommend to all sistahs to go through the Gateways for purification of your mind, heart, body, and spirit.
In my opinion, the Gateways are like the rites of passage that we would have gone through if we had been raised in our traditions. We met for eleven weeks, including orientation and graduation ceremony. This time I fasted as a sacrifice to the Most High and for spiritual growth, cleansing, and purification. I found it to be more powerful to fast with a group. Having the support of other sistahs, chanting and praying together, is enlightening. We also went to New York City for a soul sweat and to New Jersey for a Kemetic full moon ritual. The highlight was the graduation initiation ceremony, where we revealed our lessons to our community and family and accepted the charge to stay on our throne.
There is so much to learn, I find it necessary to continue to take classes to develop myself. Through that experience, I have changed the way I look at life in a lot of ways. I was tested and still go through tests, but I remember to keep my heart light, fast, meditate, and pray through it all. Sacred Woman is a solution for many single Black mothers who have to do it all: dealing with the household, bills, and the children, and having little time for themselves. Sacred Woman not only helps you find balance or ma'at, it also gives you tools to help you in different situations as well.
I have gone through six months of training with Queen Afua as a fasting and detox therapist, a Heal Thyself Ambassador of Wellness. I am now on a fifty to seventy-five percent raw-food lifestyle (I don't like to say “die-t,” because I want to live and eat live food). I've been teaching vegetarian cooking classes for about ten years. I've also taught holistic health to children at private African-centered schools and other private organizations. One of my favorite things is to share healthful eating practices with children, as well as information on yoga, meditation, and the environment. I've been known to help young people change their minds and eating habits, to stop eating pork and other meat as well. I have a cousin whose mother still hasn't forgiven me for telling her daughter the truth about pork. She refused to eat it when she got home after visiting my house years ago.
I've had the joy of watching other family members change their eating habits as well. My father has gradually stopped eating fried food and other junk, after years of persuasion. He even had his first colonic this year, and he felt so good he recommended his friends have one, too. Even my grandmother has changed some. She reads about herbs and drinks her tea, and she loves Queen Afua's “Breath of Spring.” She hasn't stopped eating meat, but she has changed her habits and challenges what the doctors tell her, too. She has been doing her own research. I give thanks for that.
We have a Sacred Ital family. I am raising my children to be strong and natural. They can see the positive effects our eating habits have had on our overall wellness. We strive to stay Ital and pure, even though the level of toxicity is very high in our environment and in the foods we eat (with the pesticides and GMO products, it is hard to find real food). We fast, pray, and take blood-cleansing and other tonics every week. We play and work in nature, recycle and take care of the earth. We look forward to the summer gardens and to the day when we can grow even more of our own food. I feel this lifestyle will make us stronger as people, because we have to overcome many obstacles to maintain our lifestyle. It is the same thing our ancestors have been doing for thousands of years—fighting to maintain their ways and culture while living among others.
My dream is to build a self-sustaining, eco-friendly African community, with a large farm and greenhouse, fresh spring or well water, solar-powered homes, and our own businesses and schools. There are several cities with European-based communities—Asheville, North Carolina; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and many others—who do this. We cannot expect others to do this for us. We have to create institutions for ourselves, our children, and our future. I feel it is important for our community to change our eating habits and lifestyle in order to prepare for the changes that are coming to the world in the future. Revolution means change, and we need a spiritual revolution that will bring an attitude of peace and Divine Love to replace the years of violence, aggression, and oppression that have threatened the balance of Mother Earth. We have to stop the raping and destruction of the land and nature for the meat, and other industries. If the masses of people embrace the vegetarian lifestyle, we have a chance to save the world and make a better living space for us all.