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Queen Afua

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Helen Odel Robinson (born August 13, 1953), known professionally as Queen Afua, is an American writer, holistic health practitioner, and wellness coach. She is an influential figure in Black veganism.[1]

Early life

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By her own account, Robinson began pursuing holistic health as a career when she developed asthma and severe allergies as a high school student, preventing her from studying abroad.[2] She decided to experiment by traveling to upstate New York without her inhaler or medications, risking her health by treating her symptoms with guidance from herbalist John E. Moore.[3] A self-trained educator, Moore emphasized using self-reliance and locally available herbs to treat ailments.[4] Robinson found that natural methods were able to relieve her symptoms, and she was eventually was able to travel to Ghana with her mentor, who granted her the name Queen Afua.[2]

Career

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As Queen Afua, Robinson opened wellness centers in six U.S. states and Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. She reported in 1995 that 10,000 customers had come to her center in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.[5] In 2000, she opened a center in Washington, D.C.[6] Her 2001 book Sacred Woman has remained in print for over twenty years.[7]

In her books and talks, she emphasizes the importance of a vegan diet, referring to meat and dairy as "dead" foods and fruits, and vegetables and grains as "living" foods. She also advises to eat baked and broiled foods and avoid consuming fried food, and suggests using herbs and herbal baths for medical purposes.[8] She also connects poor dietary habits to the legacy of slavery, urging listeners and readers to break free from typical American comfort foods.[9] Scholar A. Breeze Harper describes her writing as grounding veganism in "decolonial body politics" and antiracism, themes rarely found in white vegan publications.[9] Afua's writing on women's health emphasizes consciousness of fertility as key to awakening pride and sense of the sacred self, although she also includes and recognizes women who cannot or can no longer reproduce.[10]

In 2021, her visit to Ghana was highlighted by the Ghana Tourism Authority.[11]

Notable clients and collaborators

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams[12] and Grammy Award-winning musician Erykah Badu[13] have cited Queen Afua's work as inspiration for their veganism.

Other clients have included Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, and Vanessa Williams.[14]

Afua's work was also endorsed by Nipsey Hussle[15] and his widow, Lauren London.[16] Afua has collaborated with London, Erykah Badu, and Beverly Bond.[17]

In 2021, singer and actress Mýa partnered with Afua to create a tailored detox kit and program.[18][19]

Brooklyn land ownership dispute

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In 2018, a landlord named Menachem Gurevitch filed an eviction claim against Afua and her family, saying that he had purchased her home and the Brooklyn headquarters of her wellness center network from her 98-year-old mother Ida Robinson. Afua and her family disputed the eviction, claiming that Ida had been defrauded of her title with confusing documents. In 2022, dozens of activists from the Chabad movement stormed Afua's house attempting to evict her family by force while chanting "Death to Arabs" in Hebrew.[12] A court ruled in favor of Afua in 2024, and the Brooklyn district attorney has announced an investigation of the alleged title fraud.[20][21]

Personal life

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Queen Afua lives in Los Angeles with her mentee and roommate, celebrity vegan chef, Lauren Von Der Pool.[22]

Her two sons, SupaNova Slom and Ali Torain, are also vegan.[23]

Bibliography

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  • Heal Thyself with Health and Longevity (1991)
  • Sacred Woman (2001)
  • The City of Wellness: Restoring Your Health through the Seven Kitchens of Consciousness (2009)
  • Overcoming an Angry Vagina: Journey to Womb Wellness (2010)
  • Heal Thyself for Health and Longevity (2012)
  • Sacred Women: 84 Day Healing Journal (2016)
  • Circle of wellness: a guide to planting, cultivating & harvesting wellness (2019)

References

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  1. ^ Harper, A. Breeze, ed. (2010). Sistah vegan: black female vegans speak on food, identity, health, and society. Brooklyn, NY: Lantern Books. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-59056-257-4. OCLC 818847053.
  2. ^ a b Derrick, Rachel Christmas (3 June 2001). "Honoring Black Health Heroes". The Baltimore Sun. So how did Brooklyn-born and raised Helen Robinson become holistic health evangelist Queen Afua? ... It all started ... nearly three decades ago, when severe asthma, rashes, and other allergies seemed to be getting the better of her.
  3. ^ Heq-m-Ta, Heru Setepenra (2016). Ankh, Ujda, Seneb (Life, Strength, Health): "Let Food Be Thy Medicine," An Epistemic Examination on the Genealogy of the Africana Holistic Health Tradition, with Preliminary Considerations in the City of Philadelphia, 1967 to the Present (PhD thesis). Temple University.
  4. ^ Fugate, Maria (15 Jan 1986). "Herbal renewal". New York Daily News. p. M3. Highlights of the course include tin-can cookery, recognizing edible plants and herbs and other basic survival skills ... Besides selling herbs, giving consultations and answering queries mailed to him from thousands of miles away, he holds a herbology class once a week.
  5. ^ Bowens, Doreen (17 April 1995). "Brooklyn People In Profile: Queen Afua". New York Daily News. p. Brooklyn, page 2. Afua runs Heal Thyself Wellness centers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, California, Texas, St. Thomas ... and Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
  6. ^ Thompson, Azure (9 Sep 2000). "Queen Afua brings Mind, Body and Spirit to the District". Afro-American Red Star. p. A15.
  7. ^ Sherrod, Tracy (19 April 2022). "Black Publishing in High Cotton". Publishers Weekly. p. 40.
  8. ^ Todd, Elizabeth (24 April 1994). "Health teacher preaches benefits of 'living' foods". The Jackson Sun. pp. 1–2.
  9. ^ a b Harper, A. Breeze (2016). "Doing Veganism Differently: Racialized Trauma and the Personal Journey Towards Vegan Healing". Doing nutrition differently: critical approaches to diet and dietary intervention. Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 9781315577913.
  10. ^ Pettijohn, Brandy (2015). "You Can't Pour From An Empty Cup": Self-Care and Spiritual Activism in Queen Afua's Sacred Woman (PDF) (MA thesis). Georgia State University. p. 26.
  11. ^ Obeng, Hafsa (26 Mar 2021). "Beyond the Return – GTA welcomes Queen Afua for wellness tour". Ghana News Agency.
  12. ^ a b Brostoff, Ari (March 29, 2022). "The Passion of 964 Park Place". Jewish Currents. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  13. ^ BJ (21 June 2017). "Erykah Badu's Vegan Diet". Chicago Defender. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  14. ^ Ferrell, Jr., W. H. (20 Feb 2009). "A celebration of black history at the baby grand". The News Journal. p. HR9.
  15. ^ Jennings, Angel (January 5, 2020). "Nipsey Hussle was a bookworm. Now black men are finding inspiration in what he read". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  16. ^ Ekpo, Ime (April 8, 2019). "Nipsey Hussle's Memorial Service Will Be Held Thursday At Staples Center in L.A." The Source. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  17. ^ Barnett, Vanessa (May 11, 2020). "Lauren London Opens Up About How She Copes With The Pain Of Losing Nipsey Hussle". HipHollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  18. ^ Shea, Ryan (December 23, 2020). "Mya Dishes on Her New Single, Love For LGBTQ & More". Instinct Magazine. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "Mya And Erykah Badu's Holistic Health Guru, Queen Afua, Shares How To Change Your Relationship With Food In 2021". MadameNoire. January 9, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  20. ^ "Helen 'Queen Afua' Robinson Victorious In Fight For Family Home After Brooklyn Judge Cancels Eviction". Black Enterprise. 8 August 2024.
  21. ^ "Crown Heights wellness guru wins eviction stay in alleged deed theft case". Brooklyn Eagle. 12 August 2024.
  22. ^ Mendez, Lola. "Celebrity Chef Lauren Von Der Pool on Veganism and Spirituality". The Beet. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020.
  23. ^ Reiley, Laura (January 24, 2020). "The fastest-growing vegan demographic is African Americans. Wu-Tang Clan and other hip-hop acts paved the way". The Washington Post. Slom was raised vegan in Brooklyn by his mother, a holistic wellness coach named Queen Afua (whose wellness products are backed by performer Erykah Badu), a childhood he says set him apart from many of his peers ... A combat veteran who served in Afghanistan in 2013, Slom has maintained a strict vegan diet in difficult situations.
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