Now, I know what you are thinking “Crystal, this is a rather dramatic title for something that is a fun event to attend”, and you are right; it probably is. However, after this particular weekend, I think that this title perfectly captures every single aspect of my latest travel experience to Baltimore for Vegan SoulFest. I don’t think I could call this blog post anything else and if I did, it wouldn’t do the event justice. So, this is a story all about how this weekend got flipped, turned upside down and I would like to take a minute just sitting right here and tell how Vegan SoulFest was a story of celebration, determination, and perseverance.
For folks who do not know, Vegan SoulFest is a two-day food and music festival hosted in Baltimore. To quote their website, the organizers of this event aim to “provide a high-energy experience to people around the world, establish a diverse community that promotes a healthier and sustainable lifestyle, and provide individuals with a platform to showcase their talents.” They also want to create a platform for multicultural professionals who are typically overlooked and inadequately represented and support them. This event supported the pillars of my business and personal rationale. It’s everything that I am about. So, of course, I bought tickets for myself, my daughter, and my friend Kate so that I could share this incredible experience with them. We were so excited and, little did we know, that this enthusiasm would be the key to this weekend.
When Kate has a very stressful and challenging day and someone asks her how her day was, she will always take a deep breath and say “It was a day.” Let me tell you, the day before Vegan SoulFest was a day. Well, it was actually a week that felt like a really long day. On August 15th, while I was working at my commercial kitchen, I severely injured my right hand. Later that evening, my brother-in-law, who has a rare hereditary disease called CADASIL, had a stroke for the first time in five years since both being in my care and adopting a vegan diet. This was heartbreaking to say the least.
That Friday, I had a doctor’s appointment that morning and was told that there was more to my hand injury than I originally thought. My injury was exasperated by carpal tunnel syndrome. This would also mean that I would have to wear a wristguard on my right hand and that I could have to undergo surgery. Since I work with my hands to create and prepare food, this was difficult for me to hear. I began to think of what this could mean for my business, which was already facing challenges (it’s not easy being a business owner and doing everything yourself, y’all. That's another blog post for another day.). I also had to figure out the next steps in providing care for my brother-in-law and what that would look like.
I was processing all of these events and the emotions associated with them as my daughter, Idaysa, drove us down to Baltimore. Of course, on a major highway on the way down every light on the dashboard lit up and the car slowly began to roll to a stop despite pressing down on the gas. Thankfully, and safely, we were able to temporarily fix the problem and carry on. Meanwhile, Kate’s train into Baltimore was delayed by nearly four hours, did not get into Baltimore until 1:30 in the morning, and did not arrive at our shared hotel room until 2:00 a.m. Yeah, it was really a day.
After sleeping off the challenges from the day before in our beautiful, eco-conscious hotel and taking a resetting morning walk, we made our way to the first day of the festival. Then, a few miles from the festival, the same car troubles resurfaced twice. We were too exhausted to complain about all of these unexpected events and just shared a sigh about them. We focused on how excited we all were about going to Vegan SoulFest. We were absolutely determined and nothing was going to stop us. Kate said that this was a story of perseverance. Little did she know how right she was about that.
This two-day festival featured approximately 40 different food and beverage vendors, a wellness village filled with other vendors and community resources, and a stage featuring live entertainment. Before discussing the festival further, I would like to emphasize how inspiring it was for me personally. I saw so many beautiful women of color being celebrated and different types of beauty being represented from afros to locs from thicc to thin. I felt a genuine sense of community from every individual I met from attendee to vendor. Our community has been through so many trials and tribulations and we all have still persevered as a people to be there at this festival to hold and support one another. This sense of representation and belonging is something that I will never forget and something that I seek to bring to every event I attend. It also reinforced how important creating food with love is and how I love what I do. I’m so blessed.
There were so many great food vendors that we encountered that day. Here are a few vendors and their food items that we wanted to highlight:
Speaking of familiar faces from home, we also ran into Doris Lin from Jersey Shore Food Not Bombs! Food Not Bombs is a group of collectives from all over the world that recovers food that would become waste and shares it with people experiencing hunger in over 1,000 cities. These collectives are run by volunteers and Doris is one of the fabulous individuals who leads the collective for the Jersey Shore. Plant Based Planet has partnered with Jersey Shore Food Not Bombs to provide communities with hot, vegan meals, groceries, fresh produce, and even non-food items such as clothing (side note; we also donate 100 percent of all of our tips from website purchases to Jersey ShoreFood Not Bombs). All of the things are provided without any questions asked. If you would like to be part of our volunteering team, check out our Meetup group here. People like Doris make a difference in communities and their support allows people to persevere in difficult times of their lives. I could not think of a more perfect person to attend an event like this. (Side note: If you are interested in volunteering with them or are in need, please check out their Facebook page for more information).
I also want to highlight the incredible Wellness Village that was at Vegan SoulFest. Idaysa, Kate, and I attended a meditation class that was offered. The instructor guided us through a specific breathing technique and hand motions to let go of stress and become grounded. After the prior 24 hours, I cannot tell you how much that was needed. Kate also had a 25-minute reiki session with singing bowls from Sominbo Wellness. She said that at a festival with a lot of noise and people, she managed to not hear any of it and felt a deeper sense of calm and quiet. The Reiki Master Practitioner was fantastic at holding space and gently guiding Kate through complex emotions and feelings that she wasn’t fully aware of. Kate said the 25 minutes flew by and that it was a great experience. We also did some browsing and shopping in the Wellness Village. There were so many great jewelry, apparel, and personal care vendors, as well as community resources, that provided the polish to each person’s story of perseverance. It reminded me that health and wellness not only means nourishing your body but your mind and soul too.
This weekend was an enlightening experience for my daughter, Idaysa, as well. She shared with me that she felt deeply connected to our culture through the different kinds of food and through all of the different types of beauty and hairstyles that were represented. This was heartwarming for me to hear. I think that Idaysa’s perseverance is accepting and being at please with herself. In the wellness village, Idaysa purchased a beautiful deck of African Tarot Cards to help guide her on her journeys, some lavender soap to celebrate and care for her skin, and crystals to add to her collection. The crystals that she purchased were from Kathiscreations include blue calcite, snowflake obsidian, citrine, pyrite, and a clear quartz pendulum. I know that these object while she starts a new path for herself and I know that she will persevere.
We also got some vegan fashions to model in our day-to-day life. We walked by Tough Vegan’s tent and we could not resist getting some of their incredible wears. Idaysa purchased some cute, red shorts that have “Vegan Booty” written across the back and a white t-shirt that says “Animals Are Not Ingredients”. I also decided to take a walk on the wild side and purchased a shirt that says (and I’m gonna censor this word here for the children) “Eat P**** Not Animals”. I also really wanted their fabulous hoodie that said (again censoring, for the children) “Plant-Based P**** with a confident flower in the center of a heart. I was so happy that we got to talk away with some eco-friendly clothing that physically represented such a fun weekend.
Vegan SoulFest reminded me that inspiration can come at any time. Each vendor has an inspirational story that is unique to them, yet somehow familiar to everyone. I could see myself in every vendor there. We all faced obstacles in owning and operating our businesses, and yet, here we all are. The vendors persevered through the very long lines for food on two hot, Baltimore summer days to be successful and part of something bigger than themselves. And if they can do it, so can I, and so can you.
So, to end this already long blog post, we wanted to provide you with a summary or a TLDR list of the pros and cons of our Vegan SoulFest experience and some tips for people who would like to attend next year:
Pros:
Cons:
Tips for First-Timers:
We will see you next year, Vegan SoulFest!