WS Chronicle

By Busta Brown

This past Saturday night at the Carolina Theater in Greensboro, a sold-out crowd was there to see America’s new mom. Tabitha Brown walks onto the stage, with her stylish Afro, wearing a multi-colored checkered two-piece suit, and sporting a pair of super cool sneakers with a thick sole. As she walked across the stage toward her chair, the fans gave her a nearly five-minute thunderous applause and standing ovation. 

Tabitha stood there with tears of joy flowing down her beautiful face and you could feel her spirit of gratitude. She softly says, “Thank you … I love you.” 

Tabitha Brown is an actress, author, and vegan food mega star. The first story I did on the Eden, North Carolina native, she talked about how the documentary “What the Health” changed her life. “What caught my attention in the documentary is when they said not all diseases are hereditary. But the same things are causing the same diseases in our family. That was like a light bulb. My mama died at 51 from ALS, which is a rare disease, for which there is no cure. My dad is 70 and the oldest living male in my family. So, heart attacks, strokes and all that stuff runs in the family. 

“I thought, well, the only common denominator is that we all eat meat. So, I thought, what do I have to lose? I had headaches for a year and seven months every day. It was excruciating pain in the back of my head. I said, let me try this for 30 days and see what happens. Within ten days of changing my diet, my headaches went away. After injections in my head that didn’t work, and all kinds of drugs. If anything, I got worse because of the medicines,” shared Tabitha. 

Tabitha’s entire life changed after becoming a vegan. She’s now healthier physically, mentally and spiritually. She shared that she received a word from God, which at first, she had reservations about. Tabitha has a great sense of humor and she’s also an amazing storyteller. She has a sweet and soft Southern accent, so when she shared the night God gave her the vision to make videos about her journey, she had the crowd cracking up. 

“When God said make videos! I was like, nah … That ain’t me.” She continued with telling her hilarious version of the word from God, and had me and the audience falling out of our seats. She composed herself and then looked calmly into the audience, as if she was looking into the eyes of every single person in the room. She allowed us to see the vulnerable Tabitha Brown, the one that surrenders completely to God when he calls. And she softly says, “But when I decided to be obedient to God’s word …” She pauses and then begins fanning her face as if she was hot. As she sat there in tears, her fans shouted, “Amen! We love you, Tabitha! I feel you girl! You got this!” 

Out of nowhere, her husband Chance walks onto the stage with tissues and the ladies go crazy, screaming as he walks toward Tabitha. It was clear that he was humbled by their reaction to his appearance. Yet, with all of the screams and cheers, he remained focused on getting to his wife. You could see the way he looked at Tabitha, he was a man in love. He gently wiped the tears from her sparkling starry eyes and the entire sold-out crowd went wild. 

“Ain’t he fine?” said Tabitha, with a huge smile, as she looked into her husband’s eyes. 

I was blessed and honored to be the moderator for this absolutely amazing experience. This night was much greater than just a book tour. The vibe this past Saturday night was equal to seeing Oprah or Michelle Obama. It was the first night of Tabitha Brown’s book tour.

 “I had to kick it off right with y’all. This is where my journey began. My family and friends are here as well,” said Tabitha as the crowd roared. “I am so humbled and grateful. Ya’ll just don’t know.”

In her book, “Feeding the Soul (Because it’s your Business),” Tabitha shares her journey on how making the transition to being a vegan changed her life, mentally, spiritually, and physically. During the evening, Tabitha went into storytelling mode. She shared that “If you’re going to become a vegan, the first thing you must do is know your why. Why am I starting? It’s gotta mean something to you. To me, it was life or death. That’s how strongly I felt about it. If you don’t have a real why, you’re going to always fall off. Whether it’s going vegan, starting a business, whatever the case is. if you don’t have a why, you ain’t gonna stick with it. “I know God put me on this mission to do what I’m doing,” said Tabitha. 

The audience was locked in to every word she shared. She talks to her fans, not at them. As she sat on stage talking with her fans, she was amazing. The vegan influencer was everything they hoped she would be and more. 

“I’m not here to tell you how to live and or what to eat. I’m just here to share my story on how becoming a vegan saved my life. What you eat, that’s your business,” she said as the audience laughed. “That’s your business” is one of her most popular catch phrases. 

After my onstage conversation with Tabitha, we took questions from the audience. “I’m 11 years old and I love you so much. What is it like being famous?” the little girl asked Tabitha. She replies with her soft and sweet Southern voice and accent. “Regular. I feel the same, because I haven’t changed. I’m still me. It’s important to be the best you.” 

Another little girl told Tabitha that she wanted to be an actress like her, and to give her some advice. “Don’t act, be yourself. I tried to lose weight, dress and wear my hair the way I thought they wanted me to, but it wasn’t until I decided to be me and love me is when everything began to fall into place. Never forget that you’re beautiful as you are.” 

One of the many stories Tabitha shared was about while her mom was battling ALS, she was living in Los Angeles. Her sister who lives in Eden didn’t visit their mom daily, and that upset Tabitha. It caused the two of them to fall out. “My mama told me, everyone grieves differently, and your sister isn’t ready to let go. She’ll eventually come around on her own time.” Tabitha received her mother’s wisdom and the way things turned out is a must read. During her storytelling, she had us laughing, cheering, and crying. It was a powerful, yet beautiful and warm story. 

As the night was coming to an end, Tabitha gave her fans a warm and wonderful thank you, and ended with her popular phrase, ““Have a good night, and even if you can’t, don’t go messing up nobody else’s.” 

Afterwards, I spoke with a few of Tabitha’s fans about how she inspired them. Roshonda Hawkins shared, “I was so impacted by Tabitha Brown last night. She is a woman of influence, simplicity and loves the Lord. I am not one that is moved by too many people. It is actually a very rare thing for me. But being in the room with Tabitha Brown and hearing her tell her testimony story definitely caused an awakening, a shaking, and a stirring in my spirit. I was encouraged and empowered. I was definitely honored to be in her presence and I could feel that she honors His presence!” 

Dr. Michelle Johnson shared, “Tabitha’s unapologetic honesty and willingness to share her journey to wholeness and freedom confirmed for me that I have everything I need to be whole and free, too.” 

“Tabitha influences my life in such a positive way. I appreciate her words of wisdom, kindness and sharing her personal journey with the world. She inspires me and others in living a healthier lifestyle. I cannot express my appreciation to such a beautiful person inside and out. May God bless her in all her endeavors,” said Ronkenia Brown. 

Robin T. Rich McGee said, “It was truly a blessing to see both you and Tabitha Brown onstage entertaining just like back in the day! You did a great job and Tabitha was phenomenal (Mic Girl) for life!! Busta Brown Show for Life!”

Tabitha was the “mic girl” on my TV show in the 90s. 

And The Chronicle’s own Bridget Elam shared, “Tabitha Brown uses her platform to personally invite millions of viewers into her life. She reminds us that obstacles are not the end of a thing. She’s shown us that we can overcome our trials by sprinkling grace and kindness on our situations. Her success has truly been an inspiration and an example for those who are still holding on to a dream.”

Make sure to check Tabitha’s show, “All Love,” on Ellen’s Digital Network, her recurring role on Showtime’s “The Chi,” and “Tab Time” on YouTube Originals for Kids and Family. She’s the recipient of the 2021 NAACP Award for Outstanding Social Media Personality. You can purchase “Feeding the Soul” on Amazon, Books a Million, and Target. 

Tabitha Brown’s Book Tour was a phenomenal experience with a phenomenal woman. We love you, Tab!