Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Morgane Freeman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Morgane thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

As a Black woman in the plant-based space, it’s not the vegan community that isn’t always welcoming, it’s people that I have met that learn I am a Vegan Food Blogger. I am usually met with a lot of questions, starting with how do I get my protein, or what do I even eat? I get that last one A LOT. I think the biggest misunderstanding in the work I do, is my why? I wasn’t always a plant-based person, but after health issues, I learned about the benefits of eating less (or in my case, no) meat and more veggies, legumes, and whole grains.

After I got my health issues under control, I wanted to let others know, so I started Instagram, Morgane_Eats. I felt after watching other vegan platforms, it was hard for me to relate. I also didn’t see many people from the Midwest living this lifestyle and I thought well my plate looks pretty good so let me share. I started the page a little over a year ago and I’m so pleased to see people enjoying my recipes and calling my page their Food Porn Page!

Morgane, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

A little about me: I am a plant-based food/lifestyle cook and eater who started sharing plant-based recipes on social media in 2020. Food has always been a big deal in my life as my parents are great cooks. My father actually cooks professionally, But I honestly didn’t learn to cook until age 23, thanks to Hungry Girl.

Once I started to master the kitchen by reading cookbooks, blogs, and cooking shows, I got into the recipe lab to create my own take on delicious plant-based foods so you won’t even miss the animal products. Currently, I post weekly short-form videos about what I eat in a day or for dinner or just fun foods I’m trying at local Kansas City restaurants. I load my blog (Young Black MRS) with recipes as well.

I am an HBCU grad from Wilberforce University with a Master’s in Marketing. During her time in Ohio, I was a campus queen and a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.

By day, I work in digital marketing. By night I work on her podcast, Young Black MRS. This podcast is a marriage lifestyle podcast for newly married women.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think as a society we have always thought that meat should be the center of our plates. It might be an American cultural thing that meat is always a part of your meal. You need calcium from cows, you need protein from meat. But If we look at the current Choose My Plate, even that shows a heavy potion of fruit, veggies, and grain. As much as I would love for everyone to be plant-based, I know that traditional norms have conditioned us not to be this way. But the lesson I’ve unlearned and hope others will too, is there are so many plant-based options to fuel you with all the nutrients you’ll need, to make yourself feel amazing and your healthcare provider excited for you.

Here’s the thing I learned while walking this vegan journey, my diet is so open. It is not limited as some may think. There are so many things that can be done with whole foods plus more and more vegan mocks are being created that are affordable and accessible and I love that.

I unlearned the Standard American Diet and pushed forward with my way of eating, which incorporates so much delicious food and yummy flavors.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My biggest mission with my blog and my social media presence is to speak to someone like me. A Midwest person that grew up one way but wanted more for their life. I know not everyone will be vegan, but I would love it if everyone ate more meatless meals. Meatless meals kind of force you to be creative with your plate, encourage you to cook at home, and depending on what you are making, are cheaper. What a win!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.youngblackmrs.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/Morgane_Eats
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MorganeEats
• Other: Another Instagram: www.instagram.com/YoungBlackMRS

Image Credits
Some photos are by Alexis Brady