Interview with Cami Donald
- Emma Huerta
- Oct 15, 2018
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 7, 2018
I interviewed Cami Donald, a woman from my hometown, who is an ecofeminist and outwardly expresses her beliefs surrounding both veganism and feminism on social media and politically. Cami is a student who regularly attends feminist and vegan marches and protests around the United States to publicize the validity and importance of her message. Cami knows many aspects of an ecofeminist lifestyle and she is advantageous to interview for this blog because she will provide personal insight into this community and aide in explaining the aspects of an ecofeminist lifestyle that I have yet to understand.
When and why did you go vegan?
May of 2017 I was in Panera Bread reading the menu for what I was gonna have for dinner. For some unexplained reason I really wasn’t interested in some of my favorite meals from there, mac n cheese, creamy tomato soup, chicken tortellini pasta, etc. I had a weird thought to try to eat vegan. So I pulled up “Panera vegan menu” online and chose a cup of black bean soup with a modern greek salad minus the feta cheese. I was also pleased to find out their delicious bread is in fact vegan. I was oddly pleased with my vegan meal and told myself from that point on I’d be vegan 100%, I was ready to jump into it. I tried it for about a month and lost a whole bunch of weight, I simply didn’t know what to eat. I decided to be vegetarian because I was clearly lacking education on veganism. One night about a month later, I was browsing Netflix and came across What the Health, a documentary on the health benefits of adopting a plant-based lifestyle. From that point on I went down a rabbit hole of vegan documentaries: Earthlings, Cowspiracy, and countless YouTube videos. I was disgusted to say the least. I was exposed to the negative effects the meat and dairy industries have on our environment, animal liberation, and everyone’s health. From that point on I was completely vegan and since then I’ve deepened my knowledge and passion for veganism.
Is adapting to a vegan lifestyle easier than any people think it is?
My first answer is yes. Because I am so acclimated to the lifestyle and it clearly has become normal to me. But honestly, it is tough at first. You have to be motivated. You have to be ready to read every label, look up restaurant’s menu ingredients, find out if your beauty products are cruelty free, learn how to cook with vegan ingredients, find the best places to shop for cheap vegan food, etc. Watching all the documentaries definitely motivated me. It opened my eyes to so many injustices in this world, caused by meat and dairy consumption alone. I felt so much empathy for the animals, I became so health conscious, and I began to respect and appreciate the environment. I simply just care. If you truly care, it won’t be a strenuous process, it’ll be a fun challenge and you will fall in love with being vegan.
Have you noticed any changes on your mindset since adapting to a vegan lifestyle?
Oh absolutely. I have started to make so many connections that were hiding in plain sight before. One that is completely outrageous to me is the fact that we could literally end world hunger if we were to either reduce our meat consumption or cut it out completely. We use so much land to hold cattle and even more land to grow grain among other foods for all livestock. That land could be used to grow soy, grain, beans, lentils, so many staple foods. People are dying everyday of starvation, it is truly sick to me that Americans among many other countries are ignoring this fact and continuing their bad habits. But I also know a lot of people lack the knowledge to make these connections because government agencies are hiding it from us. Lobby groups representing some of the biggest meat and dairy distributors in the country pay off the federal government to ensure they allow and even promote meat and dairy consumption.
What does ecofeminism mean to you?
Ecofeminism means a lot of things. It can mean one advocates for issues of gender as well as issues of the environment. It can also mean one focuses on issues that affect both women and the environment. Two examples of this are the Diva Cup and the dairy industry. The Diva cup is a menstrual cup women use during their periods rather than tampons, this reduces plastic waste from tampon applicators. The Diva Cup is also super affordable as it is reusable for years rather than buying a box of tampons every month, this can help low-income women and homeless women have a more reliable source of feminine care during their periods. Dairy is also an ecofeminist issue, that many feminists openly ignore. Female calves after birth are pumped with hormones so they can mature faster to a child-bearing age. Once they reach that age, they are sent to what is called by dairy farm workers a “rape rack.” The workers put on an arm glove and cover it in bull semen. They then insert their arm into the cow repeatedly. After the cow gives birth her calf is immediately taken from her and if it is a female she is prepared for exactly what her mother has been through, if it is a male he is sent to the veal farms to be slaughtered. The mother cow is hooked up to a machine where her milk is taken continuously, until she runs out. A female cow will go through continuous pregnancies, up to 5-6 times, until her body can no longer handle the grueling conditions, and then she is slaughtered. Have you ever seen Handmaid’s Tale? The dairy industry is no different. Not to mention that dairy increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer and this information isn’t promoted anywhere. There are several issues that are intersectional in who and what they affect, and several just that affect women and the environment.
In what ways do you try and promote an ecofeminist lifestyle on a day to day basis?
I use my social media as my biggest platform for my beliefs on veganism and feminism. I try to educate people about the reality of the dairy industry being a real feminist issue, its effects on the environment, and on our health. I promote recipes for my followers to try in replacement of their meals with meat and dairy. I share my story as a woman in this country and what that means to me. It’s a lot easier than people think to promote their morals, political opinions, and passions.
I have noticed that in the past month or two you have attended some vegan and feminist protests/marches. If you could discuss how these have affected your view on the entire community what would you say?
Truthfully these marches and protests have given me hope. They have showed me how many like-minded people exist among me and that settles the fears I have frequently that none of these issues will ever be fixed or addressed. Knowing how many people are outraged with injustice and passionate for fighting against it is truly so beautiful.
Since beginning to publish your personal views and ecofeminist lifestyle on social media, what is the one thing you have learned?
One thing I was kinda forced to learn is how to deal with hate comments, tweets, slurs, etc. I attended a predominantly white, conservative, and ridiculously wealthy high school and once I began voicing my opinions on my social media, I learned very quickly that my peers’ political agendas did not match up with mine. I was harassed, threatened, and largely hated at my school. It was really hard at the time but I’ve learned so much from it. I’ve learned how to approach people in a way with my beliefs that they are interested in hearing more rather than reluctant to even listen. I’ve also learned not to waste my time on ignorant bigoted people. I will respect others’ opinions until it belittles another person.
Do you think that most ecofeminists share a similar political standpoint? Why or why not?
From what I have seen and experienced I would say yes, absolutely. I think it is mostly because a lot of these issues are very intersectional and connected in ways a lot of us fail to notice. For example, dairy is a feminist issue, environmental issue, economic issue, health issue, animal rights issue, etc. The reason someone decides to cut out dairy or go vegan can be one or many of those reasons but on some level people generally agree with all of those reasons being an issue worth addressing
If you could only say one thing to persuade people to live an ecofeminist lifestyle, what would it be?
“Go vegan”
Straight up, this is such a simple way for us to do our part in saving the planet, animals, and our health. The difference one person makes by going vegan is undeniable.
What has been the biggest lesson you have learned since adapting an ecofeminist lifestyle?
Always consider perspective. I have learned how to see issues in the eyes of different people, from different backgrounds, with different experiences, and this has helped me reach a larger audience and spread my beliefs to a wide variety of people. Not to mention it provides me with so much empathy, I've begun to understand people better by trying to see their perspective before making harsh assumptions because I don’t necessarily agree with what they say, do, etc. I have learned a lot from other people by widening my perspective.
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