THE INVISIBLE VEGAN
A Movement Towards a New Consciousness
Documentary Film Screening
Filmmaker Jasmine Leyva explores the intersections of race, food empowerment, history, African-American and vegan culture, and plant based living, in her thought-provoking documentary “The Invisible Vegan. “
This is a free zoom event screening.
Advance signup is required by November 17
For questions, email info@compassionarts.org
ABOUT THE FILM
The Invisible Vegan is a 90-minute independent documentary that begins with the personal story of director Jasmine Leyva, a 30-year-old black actress and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Leyva invites the viewer on her journey of changing to a plant-based lifestyle, and how it inspired her to explore veganism, by researching the history and narrative of food over the centuries in the African-American community, from Africa through slavery to unhealthy dietary patterns that are a problem today.
“We are the original vegans and vegetarians.”
The documentary film reflects on race, class, food empowerment, plant-based eating for healthy living, social justice, the cruelty of factory farming and compassion for all beings. It features interviews and commentary from a wide range of guests such as health experts, social justice activists, animal advocates and other voices including: Dr. Milton Mills of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Dr. Aimee Breeze Harper of the Sistah Vegan Project, writer and activist Christian Sebastian McJetters, youth activist Genesis Butler of Genesis for Animals, Lauren Ornelas of the Food Empowerment Project, Cedric the Entertainer, former NBA player and health advocate John Salley, hip-hop artist Stic of Dead Prez, health advocate and nutritionist Tracye McQuirter author of By Any Greens Necessary, and many others.
“When we consume the bodies of dead animals, we’re consuming violence; we’re consuming the product of violence. We have commodified someone else’s body the same way we have been commodified. It’s a system of violence.”
The Invisible Vegan speaks to the links and intersections of history, colonization, racism, socio-economics, and disenfranchisement, in connection with the food we eat and the farming of non-human animals; paralleled with generations of indoctrination (in all races and classes) of diet as an expression of tradition, love, family and community. Director Leyva offers truth for empowerment and hope for the future, through leading viewers toward a deeper understanding of the gravity and scope of where our diets come from, what it is that we are really consuming and agreeing to when we eat other animals, and the path of making choices through food for the freedom to become who we are meant to be.
This film screening event is for viewers age 18 and older.
“We are animals and they’re animals, so we should treat them like friends because it wouldn’t be fair if somebody just killed all your family.”