The Vegan Profile
By Carole Audet
issues
Conscious Conversations, Resilience and Self-Awareness Are Key for This Animal Activist
Katrina Fox has been a voice for the animals since her university days in the U.K. With the excitement of being a new university student, she admits she often got caught up in protests without actually knowing or understanding what she was speaking up about.A…
A Dog Named Holly Inspires Her Rescuer
Sharon’s journey to becoming fully vegan began in 1989 when she gave up meat, but she had been staying away from dairy from an early age since consuming it made her feel awful. But she continued to wear leather well into the 90s, and then Holly came into her …
This Animal Rights Activist Fills a Unique Niche
Meghan Kelly walks her talk, in more ways than one. A deep thinker—even stopping to ponder my questions during our conversation—she wants to inspire people to grow their own food in a way that's aligned with a vegan ethic. With that in mind, she co-founded Le…
Once Shy Kimberly Carroll Is Now Front and Centre in the Animal Rights Movement
Kimberly didn’t tiptoe lightly into her career speaking up for animals, and she continues to be a passionate voice for animals. “It's one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. It's made me feel much more peace in my heart. I don't feel as heavy in …
The Courage of Compassion
Edgar's arrival, with help from Kyle Behrend of Edgar's Mission in Australia, hence Edgar's name.
Born an Activist
Rights and justice have always played a major role in Deniz’s life. But before she became vegan herself, it didn’t occur to her to question why anyone would ditch animal products until she was in Spain studying to get her master’s in political philosophy.“I r…
Happy Thanksgiving
Consider supporting the #Voiceless4AnimalJustice event. The fundraiser starts October 13, with a 24-hour vow of silence scheduled for November 6. For details and to register, please follow the link below.
My Soul Has a Hat
I'm currently working on multiple projects with tight deadlines, which means I haven't had time to write a new profile. I read this poem this morning in Kathy Smith's newsletter and it spoke to me now that I'm in my 60s. It speaks to my commitment to continue…
Aprajita Ashish Is Fighting Oppression in India
According to 2018 data, approximately 30 percent of the population in India is vegetarian, but the percentage of people who are vegan is significantly smaller. Spreading the vegan message here is challenging because mentality, tradition and culture vary great…
Lea de Zwart Has Found Her Life Purpose Advocating for Animals in the Netherlands
What prompted you to become vegan and how long have you been vegan?I’m vegan for 5 years. I was a vegetarian before but had no idea of the dairy and egg industry. I never looked at videos of animal cruelty as I am really sensitive. One day I was scrolling thr…
Despite Seven Arrests, Jenny McQueen Continues to Work for Animals
Jenny’s biggest challenge in doing this work is balancing her time and energy between the multiple areas where animal abuse occurs. Her desire to do this demonstrates just how dedicated she is to animal rights. “There are so many organizations that I would li…
Louise Jorgensen Was Destined to Help Cows
Louise’s initial investigation of St. Helen’s slaughterhouse was conducted via a ruse: the students asked if they could come in for a tour. What they witnessed was the whole process of the business of a slaughterhouse.“One thing that really sticks out in my m…
Banker Turned Animal Activist, Nilgün Engin Was Inspired by Her Daughter
What prompted you to become vegan? How long have you been vegan?March 15, 2017: After a phone call from my daughter informing me that she had gone vegan, I quickly researched to persuade her to reconsider her “extreme” decision. Watching videos and reading ar…
Remembering Regan Russell, one year later
I didn’t know her, but her death affected me greatly.On June 17, 2020, Bill 156, an Ag Gag bill, was passed in Ontario. This law prevents whistleblowers from exposing unethical and illegal practices on farms and was inspired by similar bills that were eventua…
Psychologist Angela Crawford uses her expertise to impact the vegan movement
Clare Mann writes in her 2018 book Vystopia: The Anguish of Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World, “Not everyone needs to be on the world stage or doing frontline work with animals. We all have different gifts which, when shared regularly, have the capacity to cha…
One woman's journey of activism in Japan and Australia
What organizations do you volunteer with and what exactly do you do?Currently, I am involved with the Animal Justice Party (AJP). I work on several local issues and will hopefully be involved with some of their training in the near future. This is especially …
Two celebrities speaking up for animals
At the age of three, Joaquin Phoenix knew instinctively that the scene he was witnessing while onboard a cargo ship bound for the U.S. from Venezuela was wrong: fish were being bashed against the side of the boat fitted with nails for this purpose. That was t…
Varun Virlan is challenging norms
Born and raised in New Delhi, Varun Virlan remembers viewing a PETA India video called Horrors of India’s Dairy Industry. This is what prompted the then 18-year-old to make the leap from vegetarianism to veganism.“I was so shocked. Then I realized that there …
Anita Krajnc, one person in a big team making a difference for animals
Anita Krajnc doesn’t take all the credit for founding Toronto Pig Save; if it wasn’t for her four-legged companion, Mr. Bean, she wouldn’t have been exposed to the transport trucks carrying pigs to the slaughterhouse in her neighbourhood.“When I moved here in…
The Vegan Profile is launching!
Activists are fearless defenders. Most do the hard work on the streets week after week, risking arrests, verbal and physical abuse from non-believers of the cause, and even their lives. As someone who's an armchair activist because I don't live in a large cit…