Actor and activist Dick Gregory introduced McQuirter to vegetarianism in 1986 when he gave a talk on the subject at Amherst during her sophomore year.[6][7] When she was a junior, she spent a semester in Kenya and had experiences there that made her decide to become a vegetarian. During her second semester, when she was an exchange student at Howard University, she discovered what she later described as a "large Black vegan and vegetarian community in Washington D.C." This group, which was also influenced by Gregory and his book Dick Gregory’s Natural Diet for Folks Who Eat: Cookin’ With Mother Nature, taught her how to be a vegan. However, at that time McQuirter notes that, "there were not a lot of options in terms of grocery stores. There was no Whole Foods... we had to basically cook everything for ourselves."[8][6][9]
McQuirter co-founded "BlackVegetarians.com" (1996-1997), the first vegan website by and for African Americans.[6][10]
According to the New York Times, her 2010 book, By Any Greens Necessary contributed to the rise of veganism among African-Americans between the time of its release and 2017 (when the article was published).[11] She also co-authored the African American Vegan Starter Guide in 2016 with the Farm Sanctuary.[12]
Vegetarian Times named her a "New Food Hero" in 2017,[13] and Self Magazine listed her cookbook Ageless Vegan as one of the "16 Best Healthy Cookbooks" of 2018.[14] In 2019, she was inducted into the U.S. Animal Rights Hall of Fame [10] and PBS named her a "Woman Thought Leader."[15] In 2024, VegNews listed McQuirter as one of the "17 Black Vegan Chefs Redefining Plant-Based Food and Community."
[16]
McQuirter, Tracye (2018). Ageless Vegan: The Secret to Living a Long and Healthy Plant-Based Life. Da Capo Lifelong Books. p. 256. ISBN978-0738220208.[14]
McQuirter, Tracye (2010). By Any Greens Necessary: A Revolutionary Guide for Black Women Who Want to Eat Great, Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and Look Phat. Lawrence Hill Books. p. 240. ISBN978-1556529986.[17]
