Veganism was one of the things that transformed my life, having become a vegan while serving 18.5 years in prison, and serving 12.5 years in prison as a vegan before my release in 2012. While incarcerated, I also became a bestselling author, NY Times Bestselling Editor, graphic designer, and college graduate. Veganism helped me develop the discipline I lacked growing up in Brooklyn, which had culminated in my incarceration at age 17.
I now reside in Atlanta, do graphic design through my brand (KooziArts LLC) and co-own a boutique clothing line (uswear) with my vegan Queen Shana (@iamshanag on IG). uswear is committed to speaking truths through apparel that represent subcultures and marginalized communities.
I have been a vegan for 19 years. I made the decision to go vegan after reading African Holistic Health, subsequently becoming a pescatarian, then vegetarian before vegan. The goal of veganism was a means of survival…surviving a prison term of 19 to life, surviving the threat of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes that plagued my family. I came of age during the crack era in East New York, Brooklyn, which was dubbed "The Murder Capital" by the media. The first time I saw somebody killed I was about seven years old. I lost countless friends to the streets by the time I was 15. So, survival, not even prosperity, was the overarching agenda in my life. But, no longer did I see the guns I carried on the streets as a tool for survival, or the shanks I packed in jail as a tool for survival. It was the veganism I embraced in prison as a tool for survival.
We must save ourselves before we can save others, so for me, knowledge of self and self-mastery is paramount. This is how I self-govern. So veganism has been one of the greatest precursors for discipline and self-control in my life. This is in spite of having immersed myself in the street culture of Brooklyn at age 13 and having been arrested for murder at age 17. . We are killing ourselves, animals, and ultimately the planet because we lack the discipline and self-control that veganism cultivates.
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Instagram: @thehiphopvegan @kooziarts @uswearonline @veganbiz
