10 Questions: Vegan Rockstar with Rachel Bjork

Rachel Bjork, President of the Board of Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN), is a fairly recent contact of mine but I am already so impressed by the kindness, dedication and commitment to positive messaging she shows on social media. A vegan since 2000, Rachel has seen the ebb and flow of the vegan movement, especially through the lens of being so deeply involved with a very active organization like NARN, so it’s always great to get that long-term perspective. I am honored to feature Rachel as this week’s Vegan Rock Star.

1. First of all, we’d love to hear your “vegan evolution” story. How did you start out? Did you have any early influences or experiences as a young person that in retrospect helped to pave your path?

I was a gradual vegan. I college I started going vegetarian for health reasons. Once I got back home to Seattle, I started attending EarthSave potlucks where I met some vegans and from there I learned about eggs and dairy and the more I learned, the less I wanted to eat either. I become serious about going “full vegan” once I got involved in NARN (Northwest Animal Rights Network) in 2000. It was so helpful to know other vegans and to be reminded of WHY I didn’t want to consume animal products. Community was definitely important in getting me to fully commit to being vegan.