Michelle Schaefer,
MainStreetVegan.net
[MSVA-Certified
Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator (VLCE)]
October 2018
It’s empowering to realize that something as simple as, “Will you please make that with almond milk, instead of dairy?” can change the course of history and put us on a collective path to end suffering without compromising our lifestyles..... Compassionate eating simply make life better for everyone. I swear on my mother’s life, it’s true.
Rachel isn’t her name. It’s the name I’ve given inmate 47973, for she was
stripped of her name the minute they put her in prison, though she committed
no crime. Barely old enough for an estrous cycle, Rachel is pregnant with
her second baby. She feels him growing inside her. Although conceived
through rape, Rachel loves him fiercely and will fight to protect him when
he’s born. She will lose that fight and her son will be taken from her as
her first baby was. None months inside her, and they will take him and do
horrible things to him and she cannot stop it. They will pump Rachel’s
breasts, but her baby won’t get the nutrients. Her tender nipples will crack
and bleed; they will leak pus and she’ll be in pain.
Jeremiah isn’t his name. It’s the name I’ve given inmate 61928, as he was
never given a name. Jeremiah was given a cell so small he could not turn
around. Deprived of nutrients, he didn’t grow right. He never knew fresh
air. They killed him when he was a child. He was luckier than his older
sister, Jessica; more fortunate than his mother, Rachel.
Jessica isn’t her name. This is the name I’ve given inmate 52093, because
she never received a name. She was taken from her mother, Rachel, the moment
she was born and raped the moment she became fertile. She lives the same as
her mother—the one she grew inside of for nine months; the one she
frantically looked around for at birth; the mother who cried for her when
she was taken—the other she never knew. She didn’t know her brother,
Jeremiah, born after her. She does not know what will happen to the baby now
growing inside her or what will become of her.
A woman from Syracuse, New York, actually named Rachel, shouts her order as
she tells her children to pipe down. It’s hot and everyone wants a vanilla
ice cream cone—except for the youngest, who wants a chocolate shake.
A man from Kansas City, Kansas, given the name Jeremiah, treats his clients
to dinner at the steak house before their flight. Jeremiah know what
businessmen want. Only the youngest member of the team flinches, but the
rest order the veal, enjoying being treated like royalty.
A high school sophomore from Denver, Colorado, whose parents named her
Jessica, is at a restaurant with friends. They order elaborate meals most
will throw away. To avoid judgement, Jessica orders the double-bacon
cheeseburger like her new friend, a senior, instead of the black-bean burger
she’d prefer.
Cows must give birth in order to lactate. Artificially inseminated on what
the industry calls the rape rack, their babies are stolen from them minute
they’re bor. The mothers cry out for days. Without dairy, veal wouldn’t
exist. Cows carry their babies for nine months, just as human do. They love
their babies and, just as humans, they long to nurse, nuzzle, and bond with
their babies. They cry, and some go crazy when their babies are taken from
then, just as we would. What we put into our mouths is our choice. We can
vote with our dollars, whether or not we’re brilliant, famous or wealthy.
It’s empowering to realize that something as simple as, “Will you please
make that with almond milk, instead of dairy?” can change the course of
history and put us on a collective path to end suffering without
compromising our lifestyles.
Compassionate eating simply make life better for everyone. I swear on my
mother’s life, it’s true.
Michelle Schaefer has her B.A. in writing, M.A. in psychology, and is a Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator. She writes a weekly Meatless Monday column for the Journal & Courier (jconline.com). She may be reached at veggiechel.com.
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