About a year ago, my younger son and Natural Awakenings staff writer Noah Chen remarked that he thought there were more Black-owned vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Atlanta then white-owned. He said this after moving into Atlanta's historic West End, and noting all the vegan offerings in the neighborhood.

Well, here we are, a year later, and his casual remark has led to an exploration into the roots of veganism in Atlanta's Black Community. Among those interviewed are the four women who grace our cover this month: Tassili Ma'at, founder and owner of Tassili's Raw Reality; Chef Ahki; Ahzjah Simons, general manager of Sevananda, Atlanta's only food co-op, the board and management of which is largely Black; and Pinky Cole, founder and owner of Slutty Vegan, Atlanta's most popular vegan restaurant, if the measure is social media attention!

Dive in and enjoy! And make sure to check out the recipes offered up by three of our interviewees!

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