3 Questions for Sistah Vegan Conference speaker Pilar Harris

Souce: Pilarinmotion.com 

Today the Sistah Vegan project is bringing together black vegan women from all over the interweb to discuss race, gender, veganism, nutrition, yoga and more in the 1st annual Sistah Vegan Conference on 'Embodied and Critical Perspectives on Veganism by Black Women and Allies'. This ground breaking event has been months in the making and has a host of speakers sharing ideas within a vegan activist frame of mind. I caught up with blogger, Pilar Harris, of Pilar In Motion, to ask what she's looking forward to from the conference.

What inspired you to take part in the Sistah Vegan Conference? 

I was really just excited about the prospect of an open forum to critically discuss some of the things I have been experiencing since I became a vegetarian eight months ago. I find that in my family and even in my community, veganism is still considered sort of taboo. When I found out about the conference, I felt inspired to join in and see what other women of color are going through -- to see how the lifestyle impacts each of us in a way that is special and interesting.

You'll be speaking on notions of beauty, how does this topic connect to experiences for women of color?

When I think of beauty and all the issues that stem from it, I'm considering what it means to be a woman as well as all of the ideas, rituals, tools, and products that are a part of how we treat our bodies. For me, beauty is about being at home in the body. As women of color, it's important to be aware of how, historically, we have been cast outside the mainstream notion of what it is to be beautiful. In my discussion, I will cover some of the ways we are marginalized in terms of access to quality, cruelty-free, vegan body care products. I'm very excited to get into this topic because I think many of us take personal care for granted. I know I do!

There are lots of interesting topics being explored at the conference, along with your own, which speakers are you most looking forward to?

This is one of those days that I'm going to be glued to my laptop all day long. I am so looking forward to everything! Some highlights on the roster, for me, are Sari Leigh and Kayla Bitten's discussion of Yoga and Radical Self Care for young girls. One of my favorite vegans, Russell Simmons, has written about yoga as a tool to reduce the stresses that urban youth experience. The topic, in general, is one that I'd love to pass along, maybe in my own community.

 

I'm also looking forward to the open discussion titled "Why I Relinquished the Gospel Bird and Became Vegan." It's nice to hear about the paths women take toward this lifestyle.

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If you're interested in the Sistah Vegan Conference, you can get copies of the recordings after the conference finishes. For more information visit SistahVegan.com.

Call for papers for the first annual Sistah Vegan Conference

Dr. Breeze Harper, editor and mastermind of black female vegan anthology, Sistah Vegan, is hosting the  first annual Sistah Vegan Conference this fall, on September 14, 2013. It will be an online interactive conference, meaning presenters can use webcams, audio, and PowerPoint which will be fully experienced by the audience.

At the end of each talk, audience members will be able to engage in Q&A with the presenter. The entire conference talks will be video recorded and accessible after the event, to ensure that this valuable information will not be lost; it also ensures that those with internet access who could not attend will be able to access this information.

They are specifically looking for critical perspectives on veganism, animal compassion work, and self-care from the epistemological standpoint/embodied experiences of people identified women of African descent. We seek presentation that address

• sizeism
• ableism
• lgbtq experience and challenges in heteronormative spaces
• intersecting antiracism and animal compassion
• how racist micro aggressions in predominantly white spaces affect our health, and why self care is a needed aspect of ‘social justice’ for Black women and girls
• critical perspectives on Afrocentric or Afrikan holistic health movement
• parenting as a black vegan

Topics need not be limited to these above, however, the above are more of a priority, due to their near invisibility in most vegan and animal compassion spaces. This is open to all women and girls of African descent regardless of ‘formal’ education background or writing/artistic style. We encourage academic and non academic presentations.

Should your presentation be accepted, you are invited to submit it to be part of the first Sistah Vegan journal issue, scheduled for a January 2014 release.

Please send proposals by July 10, 2013 which should include your name, institutional affiliation (if you have none, that is fine too), presentation title and 150 word abstract. Talks should be about 20 minutes long, with 15 minutes for Q and A. Email to breezeharper at gmail dot com.

Possible keynote speakers have already been sent invitations. Once their participation is confirmed, Dr. Harper will post their presentation titles.

As part of the Go Fund Me campaign to raise money for the Sistah Vegan Project , those who can help are asked to donate to see this conference happen. Dr Harper will be offering honorariums for keynote speakers and hopes to offer scholarships for those who cannot pay registration fees. Why registration fees? Though it is online, there is a need to pay for the internet conferencing service and a plan that can host one hundred or more people. All are welcomed to register and attend as audience members.

For more information visit Sistah Vegan.