Plant The Power VegFest 2023

A Plant-Based Food and Wellness Festival

Our 2nd Annual VegFest was on Sunday August 6th, 2023, 12p - 6p at the Franklin Park Conservatory.
Check out the recap of the event below!

Vegfest 2023 Schedule

Time	Event Section	Event	Location	Link Id
10:30a	Pre-Festival Wellness	Grounding through Yoga with Malik Willoughy of MBUBE Institute	Franklin Park Serenity Garden	grounding-through-yoga
11:30a	Pre-Festival Wellness	Nature Walk with Black Women In Nature	Franklin Park Serenity Garden	nature-walk
12:00p	Live Performances	Festival Begins: Dj O Sharp, Vendors, family-friendly activities with Ivory & Ernest Levert, Ernest will be event MC	Community Garden Campus
12:30p	Wellness + Education	Cooking with Chef Bae of Lifestyle Cafe with Chef Shanna of Lifestyle Cafe	Franklin Park Education Pavilion	cooking-with-chef-bae
1:00p	Wellness + Education	On Hip Hop Fatherhood and Plant-Based Drippin Moderated Q&A w/Grey with Ernest & PBD Grey	Main Stage	on-hip-hop
1:30p	Wellness + Education	Black Vegan Culture & The Soul with Naimah of To Be Vegan & Black	Education Pavilion	well-seasoned
1:45p	Live Performances	Live Performance with Najoura Music	Main Stage
2:00p	Wellness + Education	Black In The Garden Panel with Julialynne Walker-Bronzeville Growers Market Adrienne Williams-Growing and Growth Collective CMD Chiimeh-AMMP Chicago	Education Pavilion	black-in-the-garden
2:45p	Wellness + Education	Intersectional Veganism with Iye Bako	Education Pavilion	intersectional-veganism
3:15p	Wellness + Education	Medicine the Way Nature Intended with Milicent Brandon-Porter of Alkahlivin	Education Pavilion	medicine-nature
3:30p	Live Performances	Live Performance with Malik & Carnell Willoughby	Main Stage
3:45p	Live Performances	Live Performance with PBD Grey	Main Stage	headliner

PBD Grey: Headliner

Grey is one of the hottest emerging artists at the intersection between activism, urban style & hip hop. A growing Atlanta institution in his own right, Grey became one of the most talked about acts after his Vegan Thanksgiving freestyle & music video took the internet by storm. Notching a total of 30+ million views, he was catapulted from local stardom to the global stage. Even PETA and Whole Foods supported his release, proving the cross-marketability of Grey and his message.

His music and clothing line, Plant Based Drippin, is creating a new energy in the Vegan community. A lyricist, activist, and social entrepreneur, Grey is nothing short of refreshing. With a clear, understandable, and sophisticated flow, Grey is an artist to watch in 2022. He, like vegan cooking, just might surprise you.

Wellness + Education Descriptions:

Grounding through Yoga with Malik Willoughby of MBUBE Institute

Connect to your inner power through a guided yoga flow and ground into the day with Malik Willoughby of MBUBE Institute in the Serenity Garden at Franklin Park Conservatory. All yoga experience levels are welcomed. Please bring your own yoga mat.

Nature Walk with Black Women In Nature

Welcome mindful movement, reflective dialogue and environmental wellness in community through a guided nature walk through Franklin Park Conservatory with Black Women In Nature (BWIN). Wear comfortable shoes and meet BWIN leaders near the Serenity Garden at Franklin Park Conservatory. This walk is free and open to the public.

Cooking with Chef Bae of Lifestyle Cafe

Interested in implementing more healthy plant-based meals into your day but not sure where to start? Join Shanna Dean aka Chef Bae of Lifestyle Cafe for a brief cooking demo to help you get more comfortable in the kitchen.

On Hip Hop, Fatherhood and Plant-Based Drippin with Grey

Hip Hop lyricist, activist and social entrepreneur PBD Grey is joining us all the way from Atlanta, GA! He’ll be hitting the stage at 3:45 pm with a live performance, but first, let’s learn more about his story through a brief moderated talk.

Black Vegan Culture & The Soulwith Naimah of To Be Vegan and Black

Naimah, the lead storyteller of To Be Vegan & Black, has been learning about the politics of food deserts and the characteristics of traditional soul food for the past year and a half. With this research she has launched a campaign titled Lemme Eat, which aims to raise awareness about food accessibility and also educate on how to create plant-based dishes with basic ingredients. In this talk she'll not only be presenting some of that research but will also be exploring the validity of the claim that veganism in America is White culture, how Black people are reclaiming plant based eating more and more while creating a cultural shift, inspiration on how veganism can strengthen the Black community, creative food ideas, and more!

Black In The Garden Panel

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to start your garden or trying to find your #gardentribe, this is the panel to be at! Local farmers, Julialynn Walker, CMD Chiimeh and Adrienne Williams will share their experiences connecting to the land, its impact on their wellbeing and simple tips to get started.

Intersectional Veganism with Iye Bako

Many Black folks and communities of color make their way into veganism through the health door in hopes of shifting the trajectory of their lives and generations to come after them. While any door into veganism is a welcomed door, this talk will introduce you to veganism as a social justice practice and how the foods we eat, environmental justice and animals rights are all connected.

Medicine the Way Nature Intended with Milicent of Alkhalivin

While modern medicine and technology can serve a necessary need and purpose, it doesn’t always get to the root cause of an issue. Join Milicent for a dive deep into the history of pharmaceutical medicine, herbs and natural remedies. You will learn natural alternatives to help navigate “dis-eases” in the body and ways to source and prepare them!