Profile of Priya Parrotta - Vegan Multiculturalism
I’ve spent the last year attending vegan conferences and joining vegan communities to get a sense of how I might be able to contribute to this movement in a substantive way. The overwhelming feeling that came from these encounters was that, while this movement is quite global, multiculturalism per se is not something that is as present in its messaging and its approach as it could be. To me, plant-based living is about opening oneself to an immense diversity of knowledge, philosophy, and culinary practices from all corners of the globe. And given that multiculturalism does not seem to be an oft-discussed subject within the spaces I've encountered, also left undiscussed are the barriers to coexistence in a deeply fraught world, and the ways in which we might intellectually and creatively and practically circumvent those obstacles. In this, so much is left out; and what I would like to do with the World Vegan Project is, through music and scholarship and public education and other offerings, create in-person and virtual spaces to directly engage with these topics.
Global harmony—the possibility of humanity living in deep, loving, reciprocal relationships to one another and to all the beings we share this Earth with—is the guiding hope behind all of my work. I believe that, in a world that all too often is dominated by needless ambition and ego, both knowledge and the arts must come to the service of a deep transformation of values: a movement, at local and global scales, away from aggression and towards compassion and open-heartedness. The vegan movement is, for me, a cornerstone of that process—an ethical lifestyle choice which is inextricably tied to ending the systems of violence which cause suffering to both human beings and the more-than-human world.
I have always felt a strong connection to animals, and baby animals in
particular. I was raised mostly vegetarian, and from a young age was encouraged
to be sensitive and kind to animals, plants and people. (Of course, being
taught such values in a non-vegan context is not without its contradictions.) I
grew up in a deeply multicultural context, with parents from India and Italy
and a childhood spent in circular migration between Washington, DC and San
Juan, Puerto Rico. As such, I had the good fortune to be exposed to a variety
of spiritual philosophies which affirmed the possibility and the importance of
harmonious relationships with the natural world. As I grew older and entered
university, I became interested in the historical forces which have impeded
such harmony; and that curiosity led to a very solid education in the systems
of violence which are, too often, part and parcel of ‘modernity.’ Colonialism
in the Atlantic World, and its attendant violences towards women, nature, and
Indigenous societies was a particular area of focus. While I have not always
seen it portrayed as such, I believe that veganism is a movement which centres
and addresses all of these forms of abuse.
Having been vegetarian for many years, I became fully vegan in 2021 after
learning about the horrors of the dairy industry. As this transition occurred
during the pandemic, it was a process which I largely had to go through on my
own. While this was difficult, it also gave me the chance to reflect upon how I
might eventually be able to contribute to this movement, utilizing my own
unique blend of knowledge and skills. That said, it also made me realize how
crucial friendship and community is when one chooses this path.
For me, veganism is about embodying the world as it needs to become. It
is, in my opinion, the most important ethical movement of our time. Personally,
veganism gave new form and substance to my deep-seated wish to live with true
kindness in a profoundly and traumatically violent world. It opened up new
horizons in the study and pursuit of coexistence, a theme which I have been
actively exploring in scholarship and art for many years.
When spending time with nonvegans, I openly celebrate plant-based living
as an wonderfully diverse, inspiring life choice which connects one more
deeply to the world, rather than less. The initiative which I just launched,
the World Vegan Project (worldveganproject.org), seeks to foster this sense of
vibrancy, diversity and multiculturalism. If widely and sustainably embraced,
veganism could address so many of the major issues of our time, from climate
change to gender violence to labour inequality and, underlying it all, the
aggression which all too often pervades our social fabric and our politics. It
can also bring people together in a true spirit of compassion and kindness, and
foster connections rooted in generosity and respect.
I have been involved in the global climate movement for many years, and
over time would like to do what I can to bring veganism—the obvious solution to
the overlapping injustices that have created the climate crisis—into my work as
an environmental scholar, artist and educator. I do not like to use social
media, but I have heard from friends that it has helped them connect with other
vegans and access plant-based recipes. That said, I do believe that the
Internet has made it much easier to foster decolonial and multicultural thought
and action within the vegan movement, for it grants us the possibility to
connect with people from every country and cultural context. Since so much of
my own work is distributed online, I am very grateful that we now have access
to platforms that allow us to share our work across the globe.
It is a pleasure to share this information about my vegan journey and
worldview with you. If you are interested in continuing to explore the
intersections of veganism, multiculturalism, feminism and decoloniality with
me, please visit the World Vegan Project (worldveganproject.org) and
subscribe to receive announcements about new music, writings, events, classes
and other offerings. All the best!
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by Priya Parrotta. All Rights Reserved.