by Shriya Swaminathan
The Black Lives Matter Protests of 2020 will be remembered as a revolutionary time in America’s history. We have been called to confront the blatant inequities of our systems that put Black communities at a constant disadvantage- ranging from poor access to decent healthcare, housing, and healthy foods. As a Black woman on a mission to educate and promote healthy plant-based living, Raw Food Health Expert Samantha Salmon has discovered her calling to empower her community to reclaim their health.
“The BLM protests put the fire under all of us who have a yearning to make this country great for all who live here. It inspired us all. The fire inside of me for change for my community has not gone out. The work continues,” she says.
The Becoming of a Raw Food Enthusiast
The seeds of a raw, plant-based diet were planted at a very young age for Samantha Salmon. Growing up, she watched her beloved grandmother endure a slow, prolonged, and painful struggle with diabetes. Her grandmother had always been a significant presence in keeping the family bond and when she passed, it caused notable trauma for the family. For Samantha, a few moments of pleasure from the unhealthy foods they were eating was not worth the life-long pain she witnessed.
Later in life, she moved to the Bay Area in California with her husband who on one fortunate day, announced his new plant-based diet to Samantha as she was about to serve him her family’s glazed chicken recipe! He encouraged her to delve into the literature and learn all about the “magic” of plant-based foods and healing our bodies with what we choose to put in them. From a passion for a career in economics, her interests became redirected towards developing a healthy lifestyle. Through her journey into a predominantly raw, plant-based diet, Samantha became a staunch champion of the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine and Founder Dr. Neal Barnard’s work on bringing science to the forefront of plant-powered education. Furthermore, living in a city like Berkeley afforded an important revelation- access to healthy, organic, fresh produce should be the norm and not a luxury for the privileged!
She became determined to empower her community to make choices that are centered on health and conscious consumerism, rather than settle for the unhealthy fast foods being advertising to her people. The alarming data that reveals 40% of Black and Hispanic parents experiencing food insecurities and live in food apartheid, Black adults have a 50% obesity rate, and that Black women make up a bulk 57% of that population further fueled her drive. As a result, she launched a Self Care Salon Program that is designed to coach women on how to reverse adverse effects of Type 2 Diabetes with a high-raw, vegan diet. After all, obesity is a disease of malnutrition.
Plant-Based for Health, Vegan for Ethics
Once on the plant-powered train, Samantha remained steadfast in her drive to learn about her new lifestyle. Along the way, she came upon the documentary Earthlings, which has the reputation of creating dedicated animal rights activists within the first few minutes of the film. The horrific treatment of animals for human exploits was not one Samantha wanted to be a part of. Her $300 leather jackets no longer represented her financial independence. Rather, it was a product of unspeakable exploitation of a once sentient being, and heavy doses of harmful chemicals that have been linked with health ailments. She now embraces veganism as a lifestyle of social justice and one that surpasses only food choices. Veganism is not a “dietary restriction,” but an ethical stance for the betterment of all earthlings on the planet.
Effective Advocacy in Diverse Communities
When it comes to creating new vegans, simply saying “Go Vegan” does not work. We’ve all been there and tried. It’s not effective. While advocating for veganism to different communities, the role becomes one of an ally and not a “savior.” As those who hold privilege, it’s a responsibility to lean in and offer support to those within the community who are doing the work. Samantha emphasizes the need to provide a platform to voice different stories, pass the microphone to people of underrepresented communities, and make sure they are heard.
It’s what she feels is key to bring about the change we want to see in the world. In communities where people are struggling to have the bare minimal needs met, it’s not easy to go looking for vegan products or care about the planet and our fellow animals though they may genuinely want to. However, once we all hold equitable status in society, it will create the bandwidth to become active in other social justice movements as well.
Mobilizing Political Action and Creating Change
It came as a shock when Samantha learned that middle-class Black families are more likely to live in high-poverty neighborhoods than are low-income White families. Therefore, they also lack access to grocery stores with fresh produce and healthy options. When probing into the underlying reasons, the answer was simple- systemic racism. The data revealed that the influx of Black and Brown communities led to “White Flight,” declining house prices, and loss of grocery stores that relocated to predominantly White communities.
To take proactive measures to help communities dealing with food insecurity and living under food apartheid, Samantha joined the Good Food Economy Working group for the LA Food Policy Council. The team worked diligently and developed The Good Food Zone Policy. The policy is an Equitable Food Oriented Development (EFOD) strategy that will not only bring fruitful economic opportunities to predominantly Black and Brown communities but also enhance the residents’ accessibility to healthy foods and fresh produce.
In 2019, the community united to envision an effective implementation of this Policy. What makes this initiative a hallmark effort is the foundational input from the communities whom the Policy specifically seeks to serve. It is an exemplary grassroots approach to introduce a policy to LA City Council members as the needs of the people remain at the forefront. The Policy passed in 2020 and as a result, “healthy food” businesses within underserved communities will receive comprehensive support from the city. This is a major victory in the fight against food apartheid and other cities must follow suit.
A Word to the Skeptics
Growing up, Samantha was not very fond of vegetables. Imagine that from one of the leading Vegan Raw Food Experts!? What eased her into enjoying her greens and abundance of colorful fruits and veggies was making delicious green smoothies! A customer and kid-favorite menu item at her former Chicago establishment- Earth’s Healing Café, was the Liquid Sunlight Smoothie. This glorious blend of fresh-pressed apple juice, mango, pineapple, and the not-so-secret ingredients- kale and spinach, has the power to bring the most fruit and veg-averse picky eater coming back for more!
Samantha also believes that rigid rules are no way to enjoy life. Now and then, she savors a serving of fries and a black bean burger as long as it’s well balanced with a salad and other green goodness. It’s what works best for her body and leaves her feeling fueled and nourished without the post-meal slump. Choosing to eat foods that provide life- raw, whole-plant foods, does not necessitate sacrificing social events. You can always wow the crowd with colorful dishes at potlucks, or choose restaurants where everyone can have a delightful meal without missing out on the fun!
Future Brimming with Opportunities
The fight never ends and Samantha is committed to tackling large junk food corporations who prey on minority communities. These communities deserve to be empowered to reclaim their health and not be viewed as “money makers” at the expense of their well-being. “We must end the legacy of sickness, heart disease, and diabetes for our children. I envision a future where we don’t need to have difficult conversations about ailments that disproportionately affect Black and Brown communities and watch our loved ones die from diseases that could have easily been avoided,” she says. To amplify her work in embracing diversity in the Raw Food space, she also has ambitious plans to host the most diverse Raw Food Expo you have ever seen in October this year! Stay tuned for a virtual event where you will hear inspiring stories of thriving raw food enthusiasts, health experts, and so much more.
Samantha Salmon is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, author of her book “You Can Afford to Be Healthy,” and host of the Raw Food Health Empowerment Podcast.
Thinking of kickstarting your Raw Food journey? Curious about a personalized program that is tailored to YOUR needs? Head on over to her website and learn more about how to get started working with Samantha.
You Might Also Enjoy:
- BLACK-WOMEN-OWNED VEGAN BUSINESSES SHARE THEIR ‘WHY VEGAN’ STORY
- SOUTHERN ROOTS VEGAN BAKERY, A BLACK-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS IN SAN ANTONIO, GOES VIRAL
- A LIST OF BLACK-OWNED VEGAN RESTAURANTS & EATS BY STATE
- VEGAN BLACK-OWNED PLANT-BASED GROCERY & LIFESTYLE BUSINESS REVS UP GROWTH
- BLACK-OWNED CAJOU CREAMERY SHIPS PLANT-BASED ICE CREAM STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR
- BLACK FLORIDA-BASED BAKER SAVED HER LIFE GOING PLANT-BASED
