Jump to content

The Vegan Society: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
→‎Controversy: I added 2 commas
Line 71: Line 71:
==Controversy==
==Controversy==


In 2021, complaints were made against Eshe Kiama Zuri former vice-chairperson of the Vegan Society who made a series of controversial posts deemed offensive and [[Reverse racism|reverse racist]] on social media. In response, Zuri accused other members of the Vegan Society of being [[racism|racist]] and [[Homophobia|homophobic]]. Zuri who identifies as "disabled and non-gendered" argued that although veganism was coined by a "white man" it had been built on indigenous and non-western ancestral traditions in Africa and Asia but this was not being acknowledged by its members, and she had been "forced out" of the Society by a "smear campaign".<ref name="Ames 2021">Ames, Jonathan. (2021). [https://archive.is/s9gfZ "Trustees quit Vegan Society after claims of racism at the top"]. ''The Times''. Retrieved 20 September 2021.</ref><ref name="Bird 2021">Bird, Steve; Hope, Christopher. (2021). [https://archive.is/C5mtk "Five trustees quit Vegan Society as one labels it 'not a safe place for young, black, queer or any other marginalised people'"]. ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved 20 September 2021.</ref>
In 2021, complaints were made against Eshe Kiama Zuri, former vice-chairperson of the Vegan Society, who made a series of controversial posts deemed offensive and [[Reverse racism|reverse racist]] on social media. In response, Zuri accused other members of the Vegan Society of being [[racism|racist]] and [[Homophobia|homophobic]]. Zuri who identifies as "disabled and non-gendered" argued that although veganism was coined by a "white man" it had been built on indigenous and non-western ancestral traditions in Africa and Asia but this was not being acknowledged by its members, and she had been "forced out" of the Society by a "smear campaign".<ref name="Ames 2021">Ames, Jonathan. (2021). [https://archive.is/s9gfZ "Trustees quit Vegan Society after claims of racism at the top"]. ''The Times''. Retrieved 20 September 2021.</ref><ref name="Bird 2021">Bird, Steve; Hope, Christopher. (2021). [https://archive.is/C5mtk "Five trustees quit Vegan Society as one labels it 'not a safe place for young, black, queer or any other marginalised people'"]. ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved 20 September 2021.</ref>


The Vegan Society commissioned Ijeoma Omambala, QC, to investigate such claims. Omanbala in her report found that the complainants did not present any evidence to support the alleged claims of racism but that some of Zuri's posts had been unprofessional and inappropriate & noted that Zuri, who uses the pronouns 'they', had been "[[Transphobia#Misgendering_and_exclusion|misgendered]]" 'she' in meetings at the Society.<ref name="Ames 2021"/><ref name="Bird 2021"/> Zuri and four other trustees resigned prior to the completion of mediation.<ref name="Ames 2021"/><ref name="Bird 2021"/> The Vegan Society have published Omambala's report on their website and have released a public statement claiming "as with many charities, The Vegan Society has a number of challenges that we must address as we evolve into an even more diverse and inclusive organisation."<ref>[https://www.vegansociety.com/sites/default/files/uploads/downloads/The_Vegan_Society_Investigation_Report_Executive_Summary.pdf "The Vegan Society Investigation Report Executive Summary"]. The Vegan Society. Retrieved 20 September 2021.</ref><ref>[https://www.vegansociety.com/news/news/statement-following-trustee-resignations "Statement following trustee resignations"]. The Vegan Society. Retrieved 20 September 2021.</ref>
The Vegan Society commissioned Ijeoma Omambala, QC, to investigate such claims. Omanbala in her report found that the complainants did not present any evidence to support the alleged claims of racism but that some of Zuri's posts had been unprofessional and inappropriate & noted that Zuri, who uses the pronouns 'they', had been "[[Transphobia#Misgendering_and_exclusion|misgendered]]" 'she' in meetings at the Society.<ref name="Ames 2021"/><ref name="Bird 2021"/> Zuri and four other trustees resigned prior to the completion of mediation.<ref name="Ames 2021"/><ref name="Bird 2021"/> The Vegan Society have published Omambala's report on their website and have released a public statement claiming "as with many charities, The Vegan Society has a number of challenges that we must address as we evolve into an even more diverse and inclusive organisation."<ref>[https://www.vegansociety.com/sites/default/files/uploads/downloads/The_Vegan_Society_Investigation_Report_Executive_Summary.pdf "The Vegan Society Investigation Report Executive Summary"]. The Vegan Society. Retrieved 20 September 2021.</ref><ref>[https://www.vegansociety.com/news/news/statement-following-trustee-resignations "Statement following trustee resignations"]. The Vegan Society. Retrieved 20 September 2021.</ref>

Revision as of 12:30, 24 September 2021

The Vegan Society
FoundedNovember 1944; 79 years ago (1944-11)
FounderDonald Watson
TypeCharity
FocusPromoting veganism
Location
Area served
International
MethodInformation, support, campaigns
Members
8,500 (in 2021)
CEO
Louise Davies (interim)
Websitewww.vegansociety.com
Vegan Trademark for the labelling of vegan products
The Vegan Trademark is a registered trademark that registers products as vegan.
Effective regionUnited Kingdom
Effective since27 February 1990
Legal statusRecognised by consumers
Websitewww.vegansociety.com

The Vegan Society is a registered charity and the oldest vegan society in the world, founded in the United Kingdom in 1944 by Donald Watson, Elsie Shrigley, George Henderson and his wife Fay Henderson among others.[1]

The Society now defines veganism as "a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."[2]

Origins

The word 'vegan' was coined by Donald Watson who was with his then-future wife Dorothy Morgan in 1944,[3][4] ‘Allvega’ & ‘Allvegan’ having been suggested beforehand by Mr and Mrs Henderson,[5] the latter of whom wrote the first vegan recipe book.

“There has been much conjecture as to the origin of the word VEGAN and its meaning. . . in the first instance it was an attempt to get beyond the rather negative phrase “non-dairy vegetarian” . . . being both the beginning and the end yet implying hopefully that what starts as vegetarian may finish as vegan.”
– Vegan Values by Fay K. Henderson, Vegan Society Secretary (1947)[6]

The Vegetarian Society was asked to provide a vegan page in its journal. It was considered but its trustees felt that its inclusion might not be comfortable for its vegetarian membership. They suggested that the non-dairy vegetarians might form their own society, which was regretfully accepted.[6]

Activities

  • Information – The Vegan Society provides information on all aspects of vegan living on their website, from their nutritional pages such as Vitamin B12: the key facts to the how and why of going vegan, to lifestyle articles and blogs. Their 30 Day Vegan Pledge has been running since 2008, each day providing a recipe, tips, and advice on going vegan. The Vegan Society also offer tools for activists such as free leaflets, as well as advice on effective outreach.
  • Campaigns – The Vegan Society campaigns on multiple issues. Current campaigns involve improving hospital catering and their 'Grow Green' campaign, whereby farmers are incentivized to move from animal farming towards plant protein crops.
  • Support – The Vegan Society provides support via its UK network of local contacts as well as a free email-in service.
  • Registers vegan products with its Vegan Trademark – ensures all products and its derivatives that are registered are free from animal ingredients and testing. The Vegan Society defines 'animal' as all vertebrates and invertebrates, meaning its animal testing policy does not exclude insects, water fleas or any other creature.[7]
  • Publishes The Vegan – a quarterly magazine sent free to members.
  • Since June 2020, The Vegan Society has a podcast, called The Vegan Pod.[8]

World Vegan Day

The founding of the society is celebrated annually on 1 November, World Vegan Day. The day was established in 1994 by Louise Wallis, the then president and chairperson,[9] however, the actual date of founding was on 5 November 1944.[10]

Controversy

In 2021, complaints were made against Eshe Kiama Zuri, former vice-chairperson of the Vegan Society, who made a series of controversial posts deemed offensive and reverse racist on social media. In response, Zuri accused other members of the Vegan Society of being racist and homophobic. Zuri who identifies as "disabled and non-gendered" argued that although veganism was coined by a "white man" it had been built on indigenous and non-western ancestral traditions in Africa and Asia but this was not being acknowledged by its members, and she had been "forced out" of the Society by a "smear campaign".[11][12]

The Vegan Society commissioned Ijeoma Omambala, QC, to investigate such claims. Omanbala in her report found that the complainants did not present any evidence to support the alleged claims of racism but that some of Zuri's posts had been unprofessional and inappropriate & noted that Zuri, who uses the pronouns 'they', had been "misgendered" 'she' in meetings at the Society.[11][12] Zuri and four other trustees resigned prior to the completion of mediation.[11][12] The Vegan Society have published Omambala's report on their website and have released a public statement claiming "as with many charities, The Vegan Society has a number of challenges that we must address as we evolve into an even more diverse and inclusive organisation."[13][14]

Movement for Compassionate Living

A breakaway group from The Vegan Society, the Movement for Compassionate Living, was founded in 1984 by the former Vegan Society secretary Kathleen Jannaway and her husband Jack.[15][16][17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Interview with Donald Watson – Vegan Founder". Foods for Life. 15 December 2002. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
  2. ^ "Definition of veganism". vegansociety.com.
  3. ^ Davis, John (2016). "The Origins of the Vegans: 1944-46" (PDF). p. 8, 12. Dorothy, nee Morgan, had passed away about ten years before Donald, having long since retired as head of a small village primary school. (...)The Vegan Society AGM on Sunday November 10, 1946, at Friends House, Euston, London (TV Spring 1947 pp.4-5) was reminded that Donald Watson had already said he could not continue running everything himself (He had married Dorothy two weeks earlier).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Ripened by human determination. 70 years of The Vegan Society" (PDF). Vegan Society. 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Before the appearance of the first issue, Mr and Mrs G. A. Henderson suggested the name Allvega, with Allvegan as the magazine title. It was from this that the word Vegan was taken, and recently Mr and Mrs Henderson have written stating that they prefer the shorter version." Vegan News, February 1945 edition, Donald Watson
  6. ^ a b The Vegetarian, issue 4, Winter 1947 [1]
  7. ^ "Vegan Trademark standards". The Vegan Society. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  8. ^ "The Vegan Society launches new podcast – The Vegan Pod!". The Vegan Society. 12 June 2020. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020.
  9. ^ "A Cruelty Free Vegan-Friendly Rock N' Roll Website". Save A Scream. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  10. ^ Calvert, Samantha (31 October 2014). "Ripened by human determination: 70 years of The Vegan Society" (PDF). The Vegan Society. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  11. ^ a b c Ames, Jonathan. (2021). "Trustees quit Vegan Society after claims of racism at the top". The Times. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Bird, Steve; Hope, Christopher. (2021). "Five trustees quit Vegan Society as one labels it 'not a safe place for young, black, queer or any other marginalised people'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  13. ^ "The Vegan Society Investigation Report Executive Summary". The Vegan Society. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  14. ^ "Statement following trustee resignations". The Vegan Society. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Vegan Views 96 – Kathleen Jannaway 1915–2003: A Life Well Lived". Veganviews.org.uk. 26 January 2003. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  16. ^ [2] Archived 5 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Kathleen Jannaway 1915–2003: A Life Well Lived Harry Mather & Malcolm Horne., Vegan Views 96 (Spring 2003)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Vegan_Society&oldid=1046199838"