19 activists demand freedom for all at our first annual Animal Freedom March!
✊❤️🗽 Nineteen activists. One heat dome. Zero excuses.
On the morning of July 4th, St. Louis made history with its first-ever Animal Freedom March!
Through this bold, inspiring action, we championed the rights of nonhuman animals, raised awareness about their plight, and built the movement for animal freedom.
How? By carrying stunning signs, proudly displaying our thought-provoking banner, and chanting in unison as we marched down the Delmar Loop.
Hundreds of onlookers witnessed our action, captivated by our unusual display of solidarity with all oppressed groups, especially nonhuman animals.
And we did it all despite the extreme heat warning, with the heat index reaching a scorching 102°F during the march. Nothing, not even a heat dome, can stop the movement for animal freedom!
A heartfelt thank you to our keynote speaker, Maxi Glamour, for powerfully connecting the struggle for animal liberation to the fight for human rights, and a special shout-out to Bombay Food Junkies, whose generous donation made this march possible.
Together, we championed veganism as an American ideal, demanding freedom and justice for all.
Their freedom is our freedom. Now let’s fight for it!
Kyle Luzynski’s Speech at our Animal Freedom March
Titled “Veganism: A Revolution in Compassion,” this speech—delivered by Kyle Luzynski, founder and Executive Director of Project Animal Freedom—argues the foundational role veganism plays in cultivating compassion for all oppressed groups. For if you cannot oppress a chicken, a fish, or a small salamander living under a log in the woods, then who can you oppress?
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Animal Freedom Day is an international animal rights holiday synthesized by Project Animal Freedom that champions and celebrates freedom for all, both human and otherwise. First celebrated in 2022, this holiday coincides with the 4th of July and is defined by protests, animal freedom marches, and vegan 4th of July potlucks.
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Yes. Here is the transcript:
In a world defined by climate catastrophe, the rise of fascism, and the unraveling of our own democracy, why should we bother advocating for nonhuman animals? With so many crises bearing down upon us, why prioritize their rights, their lives, their wellbeing, when so many humans are suffering so horrifically? Why are we here—right here, right now—demanding freedom for all instead of standing outside an ICE detention center, as one commenter on Instagram challenged us?I am here today to tell you that veganism is not only morally inseparable from the fight for human rights; it is strategically indispensable to it, even—and perhaps especially—during the Trump era.
As I have long maintained, veganism is a social justice issue, and not just any social justice issue, but a Swiss Army Knife that meaningfully addresses almost every other oppression. It alleviates hunger and health crises, worker mistreatment and capitalist exploitation, water scarcity and environmental degradation, pandemics and climate change—and beneath them all, suffering itself—all in one fell swoop! Few actions are as far-reaching and consequential as the decision to go vegan, helping save animals, humanity, and our planet. In fact, it is genuinely difficult to name a single social issue that isn't tangibly improved by transitioning to a just, sustainable, plant-based food system and way of living.
As my friend and fellow chapter organizer, Goose Rodriguez, so powerfully emphasized earlier this week:
If you are for justice, why aren't you vegan yet?
If you are for equality, why aren't you vegan yet?
If you are for climate justice, why aren't you vegan yet?
If you are against global hunger, why aren't you vegan yet?
If you are against worker exploitation, why aren't you vegan yet?
If you are against environmental racism, why aren't you vegan yet?
If you are against the corporate commodification of life itself, why aren't you vegan yet?
If you are against the powerful preying on the weak and defenseless, why aren't you vegan yet?
And if you call yourself a progressive, why aren't you vegan yet?
Veganism is not just a social justice issue; it is a multidimensional social justice solution!
But today, rather than delve into every profound intersection between the struggle for animal freedom and the fight for human rights, I want to share an insight about the revolutionary, liberatory nature of veganism, a connection I worry many advocates don’t emphasize strongly enough: its power to kindle, nurture, and transform compassion for all into meaningful action for a free, just society.Animal rights is among the most enlightening and liberating philosophies in the world. Because once it teaches you that you can’t oppress the most vulnerable among us, then who can you oppress? If you can’t oppress a chicken, a fish, or even a small salamander lurking under a log in the woods, then how can you oppress your fellow human? If you have compassion for all, even the smallest, most vulnerable and defenseless among us, who are you to hate, attack, or discriminate against immigrants, women, People of Color, disabled folk, or trans and queer people? Veganism teaches a powerful, foundational compassion for all sentient beings, inspiring justice, love, and respect for all.
I grew up in Eureka at the far edge of west St. Louis County. Growing up, I was surrounded by conservative ideology. My mom was a Republican, virtually all my friends lived with deeply conservative families, and my education echoed these sentiments. We had the only Bernie sign in my entire neighborhood in both 2016 and 2020. Not surprisingly, winning House District 88 as a Democrat where I live was considered so hopeless, I not only ran unopposed in the primary, but I went on to lose by a whopping 22.4-point margin in the general election. By all accounts, I should have absorbed the culture that surrounded me and become a moderate Democrat at best.
But right as I was forming my political opinions in middle school, I collided with a reality that forever changed my life.
Namely, I came home after being bullied in gym class one day and decided to watch some light-hearted entertainment on YouTube to cheer myself up. Instead, I stumbled across undercover footage of factory farms and slaughterhouses. Once I saw what happened to animals, I could never eat them again. I forget exactly how long I wandered this Earth as a vegetarian, whether for a few weeks or a few months, but I eventually revisited the harrowing information I had discovered, made the connection between eggs, dairy, and animal cruelty, and then became a fully committed vegan at age 12.
Veganism opened my eyes to the plight of other oppressed groups. It revolutionized my understanding of suffering, those who endure it, and our obligation to alleviate their pain. It was a force for basic decency, empathy, compassion, and respect toward everyone, especially the most oppressed, marginalized, and vulnerable.
Veganism taught me radical empathy, and radical empathy is exactly what the world needs right now. If you have empathy for the most “lowly” among us, who are you to withhold empathy from anyone else, especially if they are suffering, especially if they are oppressed? Veganism sensitizes you to all suffering, and it cultivates the radical empathy and deep, all-encompassing compassion we need to revolutionize the world.
Veganism was my gateway to compassion, to caring about everyone who is oppressed, and I believe it has been that gateway for millions of other caring people. By fighting for the noble cause of animal freedom, you are ennobling the souls of millions of people, empowering them to make powerful connections that lead to paradigm shifts and ultimately to action for all oppressed groups. Veganism is the most powerful testament I know that everyone—absolutely everyone—matters, that everyone deserves justice, love, respect, and compassion, no matter how “different” they may seem from us.
Veganism therefore stands in stark contrast to the hatred, bigotry, and discrimination at the core of the fascist movement sweeping this country. And it strikes at the roots, demanding freedom for all, no matter your sex, sexuality, gender identity, skin color, country of origin, or even species. Simply put: convince people to go vegan, and the rest should follow. Hatred is a habit. But so is love. Cruelty is a habit. But compassion can be learned.
While I have not explored all the rich intersections between human, animal, and eco-liberation, I hope I have made a strong case for the critical role veganism plays in unraveling all oppression, tearing down oppressive walls and opening our hearts to justice, love, respect, and compassion for all, no matter the victim. I leave it to other speakers, activists, scholars, and advocates to make these points in finer detail. My hope today was simply to elucidate the core of why vegan ideology is so radically liberatory, and why vegan activism matters far more than many people realize.
All oppression is connected. So, too, is all liberation. And it just so happens that veganism might just be the most liberatory proposition of all, demanding we extend our foremost virtues to encompass all animalkind, both human and otherwise.
Don’t let anyone tell you that veganism is “irrelevant,” or that vegan activism is “pointless.” They are necessary—critically necessary—especially in a world that desperately needs the compassion veganism cultivates, the harm it prevents, and the justice it demands.
Thank you for joining us today as we not only march for animal freedom, but revolutionize the world, one heart, one mind, one stomach at a time. Because veganism is a revolution in compassion, a revolution not just for nonhuman animals, but for all animals, including our fellow humans.
So join us today, and every day you can, as we fight to free them all! Free them all! Free them all!
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