Plant-based Health Justice

I've been reflecting a lot on self-care in the last few months, and finally, I wrote down my thoughts. Before I knew it, it was too long for a social media post, so I turned it into a blog. In it, I explore the following:

- What does self-care mean when facing genocide and systemic oppression?
- Self-care as an act of political warfare.
- Why mainstream self-care advice falls short for marginalised communities.
- Decolonising mental health through collective healing and resilience.
- True self-care means standing in solidarity and advocating for justice.

Would love to hear your thoughts ✊🏽🇵🇸🐾

Self-Care in Times of Genocide - Plant-based Health Justice Self-Care in Times of Genocide by Plant-based Health Justice | Jul 18, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 comments SELF-CARE IN TIMES OF GENOCIDE By Dr Leila Dehghan-Zaklaki For the last nine months, we’ve been bombarded with horrific images and stories on our phones. It’s tough to keep going when you’r...

Intersectionality is hotly debated term within the vegan community, but incorporating it into our advocacy can greatly benefit animals because it’ll help us reach more people.

Link to my talk at VARC: https://youtu.be/McSUlCk1qyU

Vegans who criticise our advocacy for Palestine by arguing that veganism is ‘the only movement animals have’ overlook how advocating for liberation across all fronts can make us better animal rights activists and ultimately benefit animals✊🏽🇵🇸🐾

Anything you’ve learned from fighting for Free Palestine?

Shirt by the talented Alba Paris ✌🏽🐾💚

Most of us know of the mural of George Floyd on the Israeli Separation Wall in Bethlehem, occupied West Bank. I came across it while doing research for another post and read what the Palestinian artist Taqi Spateen had said about his painting.

“I want the people in America who see this mural to know that we in Palestine are standing with them, because we know what it’s like to be strangled every day … George Floyd was killed because they practically strangled him, and cut off his breathing … And every day, this wall strangles us and makes it hard for us to breathe … George Floyd didn’t die due to a lack of oxygen. He died because of a lack of justice.”

After nearly two years, Plant-based Health Justice is gearing up to register as a non-profit organisation and launch some amazing new projects to increase our impact both in the UK and worldwide. 🌍

As such, we're thrilled to introduce two incredible additions to our team:

Nancy Siy (Manila Vegans), a passionate yoga teacher, vegan, and animal rights activist from the Philippines 🇵🇭

Elena Holmes (Elena, Health and Food), an excellent nutritionist and vegan based in the UK 🇬🇧

You can learn more about Nancy and Elena on the slides or on our website. Don’t forget to check our their websites (links in comments) and follow them on Instagram and/or Facebook!

Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

This is an extended version of a talk I gave at a recent fundraiser for Gaza. Since then, I've had conversations with various vegans and realised how few people are aware of Israel's veganwashing and how this propaganda has masked the atrocities we are witnessing.
The list of tactics I've mentioned is not exhaustive, as I keep discovering new ones.

Let's talk about Israel's vegan washing Israel is often touted as the vegan capital of the world - this is just one of the many propaganda tools that Israel has been using to mask the atrocities co...

There can be NO animal liberation without a free 🇵🇸.

Do you truly believe that your undercover footage exposing the abuse of animals in factory farms will make a dent in the system and change hearts and minds when images of decapitated children, children blown to pieces, and humans reduced to ashes haven't managed to do so?

Do you truly believe that you can lobby for an end to fossil fuels when you couldn’t even secure a ceasefire from your government representatives?

Do you truly believe that you can advocate for natural wholesome foods in healthcare lobbying efforts, when you couldn’t stop your government's arming of 🇮🇱?

“If this world gets away with the genocide in Gaza, nothing you fight for matters anymore. Not only a colatition of colonisers stands behind the genocide, but also all rich and powerful capitalists who destroy everything. Gaza is the frontline of war against all evil.”

Don't insult our intelligence by issuing a statement of solidarity after 8 months of silence.

Now that public opinion is changing and even pro-Israeli governments are demanding an end to this madness, your support is self-serving.

Speaking up now, when it’s popular, only serves to make you look like the "good guy."

Thought-provoking, inspiring and motivating interview with Laura Schleifer ✊🏽🐾🌱

Today on 3CR there are some wonderful voices and conversations happening.

At 12pm on Out of the Pan 3 CR 855 AM Melbourne Sally's guest is Greg Gould who will be talking about his single and sexual abuse anthem, "Who gave you permission".

On Freedom of Species at 1pm, our guest is Laura Schleifer. Laura is the Institute for Critical Animal Studies Conference Director, Program Chair at Promoting Enduring Peace, a co-founder of Plant the Land, a Gaza-based vegan food justice/community projects team, and also a lifelong artivist.

We discuss artivism, post scarcity veganarchism and mutual aid.

Then stick around for Rotations at 2pm for a musical interlude and then there's more rad programming with Queering the Air at 3pm, Salaam Radio Show at 4pm and Ubuntu Voices at 6pm. 3CR Community Radio had your afternoon covered.

Don't forget that Radiothon is coming up in June and we need your support to keep independent media on the airwaves. Our theme this year is Sound On for Solidarity. More info about this in the comments. The FoS team are hosting an Animal Trivia show on Sunday June 16, so please tune in for that one.

Listen live via 855AM or online at 3cr.org.au. All shows are available as podcasts on Spotify, iTunes & the iRoar network. 🖤💚🌿

Here's the recording of my talk "the blind spots of veganism" where I discuss intersectionality and the interconnectedness of all injustices 🐾🌱✊🏽

The Blind Spots of Veganism - VARC 2024 The Blind Spots of Veganism , by Leila Dehghan, Plant-Based Health Justice - Presenting at the Vegan and Animal Rights Conference in Manchester UK, April 20...

Stop thanking the orgs that are publicly demanding a ceasefire after 8 months ✋🏽

It's the least they can do, and we shouldn't grant them undue power or portray them as heroes.

"This... is a plea to every human being to help stop this genocide right now—we cannot live like this; the world should not be silent about the killing of civilians in the thousands."

A correspondence written by Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the Director of the Al Shifa Hospital, Gaza.

Link to full text: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)00135-1/fulltext

🚨 URGENT: HEARTSTONE NEEDS OUR HELP 🚨

This is NOT a drill. They need to raise a massive amount of money in just a few days to save Heartstone Veganic Sanctuary . They are desperate and out of time. They need our help to reach anyone who can donate big or small. Tag celebrities, share this post, spread the word—every bit helps!

If they can't move their animals in the next few days, their fate is uncertain.

This situation is completely out of their control, and the only way to save the animals is to secure funds or have a suitable property donated to Heartstone. Lives are literally at stake.

Heartstone has been struggling to relocate due to severe flooding conditions at the current farm. Sheds are breaking up, and the ground is unusable, making it impossible to continue. The situation is unlivable for everyone.

Please help them save the animals.

🔗 Donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/37ityswhfc
🔗 Share this post
🔗 Tag celebrities who can help

Are you passionate about animals, justice, and the planet? Do you aspire to make a positive impact in your community or beyond? 🌍

🌟We’re expanding our small team and seeking volunteers to join us.

Our work spans globally with a focus on the Global South.

Requirements include a deep understanding of intersectionality and its significance in activism 🤜🏼🤛🏽. Bonus points if you speak Farsi, Urdu, Filipino, or any other language🗣️

If this resonates with you, please fill out the form below, and we’ll reach out to you shortly 🐾✊🏽🌱

https://form.jotform.com/241370630495051

Recently, Plant-Based News posted a picture of Bassem Yousef, highlighting his veganism. I don't follow PBN (long story), but I came across it because a FB friend had commented on the picture, thanking Bassem for speaking up for Palestine. This friend is a vegan doctor in Canada. I checked out her profile—not a single post on Palestine and the g3n0cide in the last few months, but she had shared a nutritional tip from a Z!0n*st vegan.

Silence is complicity, and it's worse when you promote vegans who support the g3n0cide. Privately donating large sums of money to Pà|estinian charities without using your platform to take a stance may help a few Pà|estinians, but it won't advance the Pà|estinian cause and it certainly won’t stop the g3n0cide. In fact, it enables oppressors to continue killing and starving Pà|estinians with impunity.

If your silence in the face of injustice lacked power, those in power wouldn't fear social media, public protests, and free speech. For decades, Western media portrayed countries like Iran, China, and Russia as "oppressive" for banning or restricting certain social media outlets. Now, the West and IsraHell openly do the same. If silence didn't help the oppressors, they wouldn't fear access to uncensored news.

When you don’t take action to prevent or denounce a wrongdoing, you’re basically condoning it. Your silence emboldens oppressors while making those who speak out more vulnerable. Your silence helps the IOF bomb Gàzàns, it helps IsraHellis block food aid trucks at the border, and it throws protesters into jail.

Vegan, plant-based, and animal rights organisations and groups that fail to use their platforms to speak out against the g3n0cide contribute to the continuation of the g3n0cide.

And no amount of privately supporting Pà|estine will help!

When we speak of the interconnectedness of injustices, we mean that they are all rooted in colonialism, capitalism, and individualism. Nestlé is a prime example.

Nestlé has a history of unethical practices: from employing child labor on farms in Ivory Coast to extracting water from indigenous lands in Canada, leaving communities without drinkable water. The company is also one of the top polluters of beaches and waterways in poorer nations, such as the draining of water supplies in Pakistan while locals are left with contaminated water sources.

Nestlé has also been involved in animal abuse. Reports of animal testing, including force-feeding and surgical interventions, as well as killing the animals at the end of the experiments, have repeatedly made headlines.

Similarly, the company has for decades manipulated customers through misleading marketing tactics, particularly regarding baby milk formulas in the Global South. Most recently, a report was published stating that Nestlé adds sugar and honey to baby food in the Global South while the same foods are free from those contents in Europe.

Additionally, Nestlé’s mistreatment of its workers is well-known and well-documented. In recent months, it has come to light that Nestlé’s subsidiary, Osem, operates plants in Occupied Palestinian Territories, and supports the gen0c!de .

Time and again, Nestlé has demonstrated that they value profit over human lives, particularly those of individuals in the Global South. Nestlé is a prime example of exploitation rooted in colonialism and capitalism, and how all injustices are interconnected.

Ps: this is just a simplified summary of Nestle’s exploitations.

Like many, Mike McGowan has felt disappointed and disheartened by the silence in the vegan community. He wrote a blog piece in March discussing moral inconsistencies within the movement and exposed 10 allegedly compassionate organisations that had remained silent. He then emailed them, inquiring about their official stance on IsraHell's US-backed gen0cide in Gaza.

Only one organisation replied through their customer support system.

How should we, as vegans, react to the deafening silence of vegan and plant-based organisations and groups? Should we stop donating to them? Unfollow them? I'm genuinely interested to hear what others feel we should be doing to remain consistent in our morals and compassion.

Link to Mike's blog in comment!

My talk at VARConference was recorded, and I'll share it once it's available. For now, I'd like to share three graphics I created for my presentation.

The first and second images depict a hierarchical structure. In such setups, some individuals or groups possess all the power, while others face marginalisation and oppression. Decision-making tends to be in the hands of a select few, which can lead to power abuse and a lack of accountability.

Accountability becomes blurred within hierarchies. Those at the top can easily sidestep responsibility for their actions, leaving those below feeling detached from the consequences of their actions - they feel powerless and helpless.

This hierarchical mindset perpetuates systems of oppression and inequality, where power dynamics dictate social interactions and outcomes. Even in mainstream veganism, hierarchies persist. When those at the top happen to be vegan, the structure may shift, and animals are placed above other marginalised groups, but still below those at the top.

To create a truly fair and just society, aka a vegan world, we must challenge and dismantle this mindset. We need to reimagine social structures that prioritise equity, compassion, and justice for all beings - see slide 3. Only then can we build a world where everyone is valued and respected.

"This has been one of the darkest winters of my lifetime. And how could it not be? All children are our children, and we are witnessing a GENOCIDE in real time." 💔

For 6 months, the vegan community has been left in shock as major vegan and plant-based organisations remain silent on this televised gen0cide. And to add insult to injury, PETA appoints Bill Maher - a known gen0cide supporter - as their "Honorary Director." 🤦🏽‍♀️

In this eye-opening article, Mike McGowan from "Plant Based Diets Rock" shares his disappointment, exposes the 10 compassionate organisations that have chosen to stay mum, and discusses how moral inconsistency within the vegan movement undermines the compassion and moral high ground they preach.

Israel's US Backed Genocide in Gaza Exposes the Vegan Movement's True Colors We are witnessing Israel’s US backed GENOCIDE in Gaza in real time, and Genocider in Chief, Joe Biden, and others in his circle, will likely never face justice for their unspeakable crimes. Again, if you are rich and powerful in the United States, you are above the law. How pathological and broken...

🚨Climate change is happening, and we need to take urgent action to reduce our carbon emissions.

A 2018 study by researchers at the University of Oxford highlighted the profound impact of adopting a vegan diet, identifying it as the “single biggest way” individuals can reduce their environmental footprint. 🌱👣

So, it’s great to witness universities across the UK rallying behind The Plant-Based Universities campaign and advocating for a complete shift towards plant-based catering on their campuses. 🎓🏫🌱 I had the privilege of participating in the first panel discussion on the PBU campaign at the University of Kent in December 2022, and have since been actively engaged in subsequent meetings and dialogues, supporting UKC Plant-Based Universities 🙏🏽

It’s evident that many university staff members recognize the urgency of transitioning to sustainable diets and are willing to take action, however, they require practical assistance, such as navigating financial considerations and learning how to create delicious vegan food that appeals to a diverse student body.

Last year, I developed a comprehensive decision maker’s guide to plant-based catering on campus. This resource addresses concerns regarding nutritional adequacy, dietary accessibility, and cultural relevance of plant-based diets. I hope this offers support to university decision-makers.

Link to guide in comment!

There will be ceasefire ...eventually! And one day Pàlĕstině will be free. But I$raHell will forever be spoken of in disgust.

In just five months, more than 12,300 children have been killed in Gàzà; that's more children have been killed in the whole of the rest of the world combined in 4 years

Killing children without hesitation says all we need to know about IOF.

Seeing images of murdered children and getting only a shoulder shrug while blaming Khamas says all we need to know about the Zioni$ts and their supporters.

For a genocide to succeed, there cannot be a future for the Pàlestiniàns.

The only way the Zioni$ts can wipe out Pàlestiniàns is by targeting and killing their children.

The IOF's actions are deliberate, not accidental or collateral damage.

Don't break your fast with genocide!

Please check the slides for dates to purchase and Israeli brands to boycott ✊🏽🇵🇸

IsraHell is killing Palestine's future - this IS genocide!

Please see original post for link in the comment!

Vegans often quote 'the only difference is your perception' when speaking to non-vegans who love their pets🐩🐈 but consume cows, pigs, and other animals 🐄🐖🐓
They understand that perception doesn't equal reality.

Is it the objective reality or your individual perception that shapes how you react to the situation in Pà|ĕstine?

The way you've been conditioned to interpret things influences your perception, making it challenging to see the unfiltered truth.

What will it take for you to see through the lies, break free from doctrines, and wake up to reality?

Weaponising food as a tool of gen*cide 💔

Why do some people of colour discriminate against and oppress others in their community? Why do some deny experiencing racism? And why, at times, can the aggression among people of colour towards each other be more severe than that of white racists and oppressors?

Join us on Wednesday as we discuss internalised oppression and the role it plays in enabling the oppression of a majority by a small number of people.

DM for Zoom link.

The silence of the vegan community regarding the ongoing genõcîdě conflict has revealed ethical incongruencies and a lack of understanding about oppression in its various forms among allegedly ethical vegans.

I initiated these fortnightly discussion groups with two main objectives:
1️⃣ to connect with compassionate vegans who, like me, feel disappointed by the silence within our community
2️⃣ to educate ourselves on oppression, injustice, and foster a deeper understanding of our global issues
___
If you’d like to join, please DM me. You can find the link to the recording of our first meeting in the bio.