I am poet, spoken word performer, and human rights activist Christopher D. Sims aka UniverSouLove. I have been vegan for eight years now. My journey started at Rust College in Holly Springs, MS in 1993 when two friends and I decided to stop eating red meat-we had already stopped eating pork. It was a gradual process.

We stopped eating beef, then turkey, and then chicken. We were all becoming very conscious about the food we were eating. It was educational rap music that helped us make these decisions. I finally became vegetarian in 1998 with the help of information provided in the books Eat to Live and African Holistic Health. It has been one of the best decisions I've made in my life thus far. Reading about how unhealthy pork was in high school has kept me on this journey. Also, viewing documentaries and the like about factory farms and animal cruelty has encouraged me to not only live a vegan lifestyle, but to write about it and become an advocate and educator for healthy living.

I've written poems and recorded songs about healthy eating, sustainable living, and environmental justice. I can't see turning back now. Especially with the knowledge I've gained and because of the many health benefits I'm experiencing being vegan.