12 inspiring vegan activists and influencers to celebrate this International Women’s Day

We are marking International Women’s Day by celebrating the vegan women who inspire us through activism, entrepreneurship, and aspirational food.

International Women’s Day is a celebration of generations of women who have fought for gender equality across the globe, as well as shining a light on gender inequalities that continue to exist around the world.

The vegan community continues to fight for human rights issues, such as food poverty and exploitation of labour, that affect women across the world.

From plant-based food bloggers to anti-poaching units, so many incredible women have shaped the plant-based movement into what it is today.

While there are always many women worth celebrating every day – not least our family and friends – we’re spotlighting (in no particular order) some of the vegan women who inspire us and help break the bias when it comes to gender parity in the animal protection movement.

1. Juliet Gellatley

Founded by Juliet in 1994, Viva! has been at the forefront of the animal protection movement for more than two decades.

She has an epic catalogue of achievements to inspire us all, but some that stand out as her most inspiring traits are her gritty determination to cry foul in the face of injustice, and her uncompromising commitment to the animal rights cause – whatever the cost.

Outraged by the brutality of seal pup slaughter, snaring and a chance trip to a ‘model’ pig farm at the age of 15, Juliet hasn’t just banged the vegan drum; she’s hammered it loud and proud ever since.

Starting her career in campaigning at the Vegetarian Society as their Youth Education Officer, she quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the organisation’s director in her late-20s.

During this time, she created the first National Vegetarian Week, with the support of Linda McCartney, and increased the number of schools offering healthy vegetarian main meals from 13 per cent to an incredible 65 per cent within 18 months.

Food provision wasn’t Juliet’s real passion though, she was much more interested in breaking down the façade of animal agriculture, investigating farmed animal cruelty and making sure the public heard the message – that the most powerful action you can take to end animal suffering, protect the environment and improve your health, is to go vegan.

With that in mind she set up Viva!, and for the last 27 years has spearheaded campaign after campaign to nudge, cajole, persuade and educate the masses in favour of veganism.

You can listen to Juliet’s story on the Simply Vegan Podcast, or read more about Juliet’s work at viva.org.uk.

2. Nyaradzo Auxillia Hoto

The Akashinga, otherwise known as The Brave Ones, are Africa’s first vegan, all-women, armed anti-poaching unit, eliminating illegal hunting without firing a single shot. Now what’s more badass than that?

Well, the Akashinga are not just about animal conservation and protection, they’re also about women’s rights – providing a means for their rangers to buy property, build houses, send their children to school, get a driver’s license, finish high school, enrol in college and thoroughly provide for their families.

Sergeant Nyaradzo Auxillia Hoto is one example of these incredible vegan women, hailing from Huyo, a small village in Zimbabwe’s mighty Zambezi Valley.

She graduated from the first pilot Akashinga training program in 2017 and joined a unit of 16 women.

They were tasked with protecting 90,000 acres of Zimbabwean wilderness, where around 8,000 elephants – as well as countless thousands of other wild animals – had been killed by armed poachers over the previous 16 years.

Enforcing a strict anti-poaching policy is no small task! But in just four years, The Brave Ones have reduced elephant poaching in the Lower Zambezi Valley by a staggering 80 per cent and now protect around 1.3 million acres of African wilderness.

As Hoto puts it so beautifully herself: “animals shouldn’t suffer or feel pain for the sake of our needs and desires. They have the right to live and enjoy their life.”

3. Angela Davis

Once listed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted, the ‘godmother of modern activism’ Angela Davis is best known for campaigning for racial justice and progressive politics.

Angela is also a committed vegan and discusses the issue of animal rights with equal tenacity.

As a socialist scholar, she has lectured all over the world and held positions at a number of universities where she’s attempted to illuminate the need to stop devaluing lives based on prejudice and profit.

For Angela, part of this revolutionary perspective is about assessing the relationship we have with the food we eat and discovering more compassionate relationships with the animals we share the planet with.

There’s so much more to say about Angela, but if you’ve never heard of her, we’d recommend getting a copy of her autobiography – Angela Davis: With My Mind On Freedom or Freedom is a Constant Struggle.

4. Sarah Bentley

Sarah founded London’s vegan community cooking school, Made in Hackney, in 2012 as a response to the global and local food crisis.

Made in Hackney collaborates with its community to develop skills that inspire them to grow and cook more plant-based foods.

During the pandemic, Sarah and her inspiring team launched a programme of online classes, telephone support for those not online, and an emergency direct-to-door community meal service.

You can listen to Sarah’s story on the Simply Vegan Podcast.

5. Miyoko Schinner

Miyoko leads the way with artisan vegan cheeses. They’re not available in the UK yet, but they do receive rave reviews.

Born in Japan, Miyoko moved with her family to the US in the mid-’60s where her culinary influences involved French cuisine and gourmet cheeses.

Vegan since the ’80s, she’s taught cooking classes, written recipe books and even opened her own restaurant in San Francisco, before launching Miyoko’s Creamery in 2014 – but she isn’t stopping there.

Using food as a way to inspire compassion for all living beings, she’s the driving force behind a research and development programme in California to transition dairy farms to plant agriculture.

This entails growing drought-resistant crops to be part of a new plant-based economy for an animal-free dairy future.

6. Dr A. Breeze Harper

Dr A. Breeze Harper is a renowned speaker and writer on critical race feminism, intersectional anti-racism, and ethical consumption.

She is the founder of the Sistah Vegan Project and editor of the ground-breaking anthology, Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak On Food, Identity, Health, and Society.

Dr Harper’s work focuses on how systems of oppression, namely racism and normative whiteness, operate within the USA and the vegan community.

You can follow Dr Harper’s work on Instagram or through the Sistah Vegan blog.

7. Hulda B Waage

Annihilating the stereotype of weak vegan women, Icelandic strongwoman Hulda B Waage, also known as the Vegan Viking, is a professional powerlifter.

She juggles squatting 230kg, benching 150kg and deadlifting 180kg – which is absolutely huge – with caring for her family and delivering sandwiches for the first all-vegan company in Iceland.

If that’s not enough inspiration to hit the gym, we don’t know what is.

It’s a huge misconception that switching to a plant-based diet deprives you of protein and Hulda is one of many vegan athletes whose dedication to a relentless training regimen goes to prove the naysayers wrong.

In fact, she even credits her vegan diet for the strength she needed to complete her record-breaking lifts, saying: “You can be strong without eating meat and animal by-products.” That’s right Hulda!

You can follow her journey and wish her luck on Instagram.

8. Lisa Kitahara

Lisa is the founder of the vegan food blog, Okonomi Kitchen, sharing deliciously healthy plant-based recipes inspired by her Japanese and Chinese heritage.

Okonomi is a Japanese word that translates to ‘how you like’, Lisa uses this as a foundation for her cooking, creating stunning vegan recipes that can be easily adapted to your taste.

Lisa’s recipes embrace flavour and prove that vegan cooking doesn’t have to be bland.

You can follow @okonomikitchen on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

9. Niki Webster

Frequently featured in Vegan Food & Living, Niki Webster, AKA Rebel Recipes creates a rainbow on every plate using simple, fresh ingredients.

Niki embraces all things natural and produces incredible recipes that are accessible for all.

Also, look out for her recipes in issues of VFL – or try this gorgeous spiced apple and ginger cake recipe now.

You can follow Niki @rebelrecipes on Instagram, as well as explore her selection of plant-based cookbooks online.

10. Gabrielle Reyes

Gabrielle Reyes, AKA One Great Vegan, has changed the food blogging world as we know it.

Reyes is best known for being the singing chef – yes, that’s right!

Her amazing vocals paired with her inspiring (and insanely delicious) plant-based recipes are enough to turn anyone vegan.

You can find @onegreatvegan on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

11. Mana Shamshiri

Mana is the founder of the vegan food blog, The Iranian Vegan.

Part of the Iranian diaspora based in London, Mana uses her heritage to create plant-based food that is compassionate and culturally rooted.

Her passion for sustainability, compassionate cooking, and authentic flavours is nothing short of inspiring.

You can delve into Mana’s incredible recipes through her blog, or follow @theiranianvegan.

12. Anthea Cheng

To put it plainly – Anthea’s food blog, Rainbow Nourishments, is simply a work of art.

Her creative and vibrant recipes showcase plant-based baking and cooking at its finest. Just look at this Sticky Toffee Biscoff Pudding!

Anthea uses food as a tool to connect to loved ones, as well as to show kindness to ourselves.

You can follow Anthea on Instagram and Pinterest @rainbownourishments.

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Featured image © Nadzeya_Dzivakova via Getty Images