Black Lives Matter Vegan Soul Food Cookout!

The Memphis chapter of Black Lives Matter held a vegan soul food fair in North Memphis on Saturday. It was billed as a cookout, but nobody was cooking onsite, so it was more of a fair. The event was held in a grassy vacant lot in the Smokey City neighborhood, just five minutes from my house, so I popped by to grab lunch (and dinner for later).

Of course Cassi and her son Keithon were there with food and cupcakes from Pink Diva Cupcakery. 

She had several cold dishes that seemed like they'd be perfect to save for dinner. I bought her Chickpea Salad.

And her Avocado Kale Salad. Later, for dinner, I combined the two salads in a gluten-free pita pocket.

Nigel and Andrea from Irie Vegan Kitchen were there too. They don't have a restaurant space yet, but they often host invite-only vegan brunches in their home. 

I love Nigel's food, but I don't get to enjoy it very often, so I was super-stoked to get this platter of Baked Mac & Cheese, Vegan Hot Wings and Ranch, and Irie House Salad for lunch.

The ladies from Two Vegan Sistas — a high-raw vegan cafe in Bartlett — were there with grab-and-go raw cashew burgers and desserts. I love their food, but I don't get out to their cafe often enough. It's just a drive from my home in Midtown — about 20 minutes — but I need to make it a point to visit more.

I bought a slice of their Strawberry Cake — a healthier cake made with wheat flour, coconut oil, fresh berries, and turbinado. So good and moist! Loved that simple strawberry glaze on top.

And I couldn't resist grabbing a bag of the Two Vegan Sistas' Protein Poppers popcorn. It's loaded with spirulina and other spices, and it's just so good. I always get a bag to go when I stop by their restaurant too.

That was all for the food vendors, but there was also a Black Lives Matter and 901 Evolution info booth. 

It was a really cool event, and it had a great turnout. So cool to see veganism and the fight against systemic racial oppression come together!