peta2 + Florida Colleges = <3 (PICTURES!) November 3, 2009

Posted by Ryan at November 3, 2009 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBack

The peta2 College Campaigns division has really been running at full throttle over the past couple of weeks, so we figured it was time for an update! Sure, you've heard about our all-star campus outreach crews, dominating colleges from coast to coast, but what else have we been up to?

Well, for starters, I traveled deep into the heart of Swamp territory to visit the University of Florida. Working with the superstar student group at UF, called EnVeg, peta2 helped host PETA vice president Bruce Friedrich for an on-campus talk titled "Meet Your Meat." The event even featured free vegan ice cream!

Of course, as anyone who has ever seen our "Start a Buzz" video knows, it takes more than flyers to ensure a large event turnout. We had to pull out the sidewalk chalk! Enter the students of EnVeg, taking over the campus in the middle of the night ...



As expected, we caused so much of a stir that a packed room of UF students turned out to hear what all of the fuss was about!



The event even caught the attention of the student newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator, which wrote a great article, helping us to reach thousands more students.

Elsewhere in the state though, my buddy Adrianne was holding down peta2's Liberation display at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the University of South Florida (USF). For those who haven't checked it out, Liberation is a traveling educational exhibit that draws the parallels between the abuses humans have inflicted on each other, with the abuses we currently inflict on animals.

While at UCF, our crew couldn't resist the opportunity to join the student group, BARC, at the legendary vegan hotspot, Ethos Vegan Kitchen. Here's our buddy Kortney enjoying a delicious curry tofu wrap ("one of the best things on the menu, next to Yo' Mamma's Lasagna").



At USF, we worked with the student group, SPEAK, to really focus on animal testing issues. Some students on campus even admitted to performing cruel tests on hammerhead sharks! Who does that?



Well, that's it for this week. Stay tuned for more updates soon. You never know where peta2 is going to pop up next!

Liberation Comes to Brown University and GMU! October 14, 2009

Posted by Ryan at October 14, 2009 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBack

A few days ago, we told you about the exciting events we've been hosting on college campuses recently, but that was just one piece of the story! Also taking the country by a storm is Adrianne, who coordinates peta2's Liberation Project exhibit. The traveling display draws the parallels between the abuses humans have inflicted on each other throughout history, with the abuses we currently inflict on animals.

She's been traveling all semester to different college campuses, talking about animal rights issues, and helping people understand how the decisions they make in their lives have a very real impact on whether animals suffer or not.

Earlier in the fall, she visited Michigan State University, followed by Concordia University in Montreal (home of The People's Potato—a vegan soup kitchen on campus!)

The past two weeks though, she's been hammering the message home at two key East Coast schools: Brown University and George Mason.

At Brown—an Ivy League university—the display was hosted by the Brown Animals Rights Club (BARC). Some students were skeptical about the message at first, but after speaking with Adrianne and the student group members, people really started to think about the issues more critically.

In fact, the student newspaper editors wrote a fantastic piece about the display, in which they said:

"Brown students, keep an open mind. The display may be shocking, but the care its creators put into it turns what could be offensive into something potentially of great value. A short stop at the conversation booth might be well worth your time."

At GMU, the display was hosted be the brand-new Animal Rights Collective on campus—which gained 140 new members over the course of the week!



At the end of the week, we also hosted a screening of our short film, titled "Liberation". What's that? You haven't watched it yet? Well, get on it!

The tour has been a huge success so far, but we've still got tons of states to hit, so keep your eyes out!

What do you think: How would people at your school react to our animal rights display?

Black History Month February 9, 2009

Posted by Pulin Modi at February 9, 2009 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBack

February is Black History Month. You can learn some more here.

Obviously our struggle is not the same as that fought by African-Americans, but there are many similarities. No one wants to be a victim. No one who benefits from exploitation wants to give up their position of privilege. Yet, if we're sincere in wanting to make the world a better place, we need to think about these things.

Here are five reasons I think Black History Month is important for any animal rights advocate to seriously study:

• It's inspiring! Less than 200 years ago, slavery of human beings was legal. Less than 100 years ago, human beings were denied the right to vote in the United States. Now we have an African-American President. That's a significant amount of progress in a few lifetimes. Change doesn't come easy, but we're also making huge steps forward when it comes to improving the lives of animals with stricter laws, increased public awareness, and more people active for this cause that ever before. We're making history.
  
  
• We can learn from other social movements. While there have been many notable individuals from Nat Turner to Harriet Tubman to Martin Luther King, Jr., the reason our society has progressed in this area is that a large number of people worked together towards a common goal. Human beings had the advantage of being able to organize themselves to work towards their own freedom through the Underground Railroad, protests, boycotts, policy reform, and other tactics. Animals today need our voices to speak up for them. We have growing numbers and will only grow stronger as time goes on, but need your help, too!
  
  
• Black History Month allows us to realize that legality and morality are not always consistent. For instance, slavery of African-Americans used to be legal. Yet we know that it was immoral. Similarly, just because enslaving animals for food, clothing, experimentation, and entertainment is legal today, that doesn't mean it's a moral thing for our society to allow. Hopefully one day we will look back and see all injustice as a terrible part of the past.
  
  
• The importance of welfare versus rights. Some people used to argue that human slavery was acceptable as long as a certain standard of welfare was used when enslaving human beings. We can look back at that with disgust because we know that no one should be owned by another person. We're all individuals with our own lives and families and a capacity to feel pain and suffer. There's no excuse for enslavement. Similarly, if we look at the modern struggle for animals, we should recognize that they have the right to live free from humans' domination. And you can be sure your friends at peta2 will help you with this fight!
  
  
• It's important to embrace different strategies for animal liberation rather than getting upset that one individual or group may or may not be doing exactly what we'd like to see. Some students like handing out leaflets and others are into gathering petition signatures. Some like attention that comes protesting a KFC with graphic signs while others find hopping into a bikini with a sign that reads "KFC Tortures Chicks" outside that same restaurant to be a good strategy. As long as people are speaking up for animals and acting sincerely using a variety of tactics, we're going to do a lot better than if we allow ourselves to become consumed by infighting. Know what I mean?

So with that, I hope you'll take some time to speak out for animals this month whether it's with a school project or exploring the Liberation museum online. This video from PETA's President is amazing, too.

Thanks!

"Nugget" Hits New York! September 20, 2007

Posted by Ryan at September 20, 2007 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

It's always important to balance out the serious issues animals face these days with some upbeat and fun activities as well.

Case in point: my recent visit to Hofstra University in NY. We were originally there to display our brand new "Liberation Project" exhibit, which shows the similarities between previous human oppression, such as slavery and child labor, with the current exploitations of animals. Important stuff for sure, but not exactly a mood lifter...

Of course, we can only go so long talking about something so serious before we break out the costumes and have a little fun! Armed with our oversized chicken costume and a limitless supply of free stickers, I give you, the "Nugget" on campus!





Want to start a buzz on your campus? Check out our new college section for some ideas, or just email me to get started!

Later, alligators!

- Ryan