CLOSING

Since I started this anthology in June 2018, there have been many victories for animals, proving that the animal rights movement is gaining significant traction. Unfortunately for the trillions of suffering animals, the tragedies still outweigh the victories, yet with respect to the myriad forms of activism, we are moving closer toward the tipping point.

There are hardly enough words to describe the impact that animal rights activism has had on me. It is such an integral part of the core of my being—the essence of who I am. Being an activist has enriched my life in immeasurable ways, some of which are clearly defined and some of which are in the process of being revealed. It is an evolving, unfolding journey as I learn how to become a more effective activist through integrating different ideas and approaches, learning from challenges that arise, and opening myself to new experiences.

In the spring of 2019, I went on my first middle-of-the-night investigation with two fellow activists at a calf farm. This type of farm is where baby cows are raised before being sent to slaughter for veal (if they are male) or transferred to dairy farms (if they are female). Our goal for this clandestine venture was to document the conditions of the animals in order to gather evidence to expose a dairy company and its affiliates.

It was surreal to leave the farm and drive back into reality—passing fast-food restaurants and grocery stores that sell dairy—after having witnessed firsthand the true picture of dairy. The next day I felt empty as I went about my routine, my mind fixed on the many rows of agitated babies who I had seen, as well as the pile of calves who had died during their entrapment on the farm before they could be sent off for their intended purposes. The fact that babies are taken from their mothers and isolated in hutches so small they can’t turn around in order to produce cheese and ice cream is disturbing beyond words. When I see someone excited over pizza or ice cream, I think of the calves stuck in those hutches, peering out with wide eyes, and the long low moaning reverberating across the farm. It is visuals like these that haunt me and anger me, yet also ignite my activism to greater heights.

Putting this book together has been inspiring, challenging, and incredibly rewarding. I am ever grateful to my contributors, who worked diligently on their pieces, were open to my feedback for revision, and trusted my editing. I am deeply moved by their powerful narratives. Each contributor has brought something unique and individual to the pages of this book, driven by various backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches, while existing as part of the shared vision of a world free of exploitation for all beings. Until the voices of nonhumans are heard, we will raise ours—through education, outreach, campaigns, demonstrations, protests, marches, civil disobedience actions, bearing witness, rescue, and so on, with the goals of dismantling speciesism and achieving liberation.

This collection encompasses many experiences and perspectives, yet it only scratches the surface of the spectrum of stories within the animal rights movement—there is certainly a vast array of narratives out there, from all corners of the globe. My hope is that the words within these pages will open hearts and minds toward a world that does not view animals as products or commodities, but a world that views them as individuals who are worthy of respect and justice. I see that world on the horizon, every day, as I witness the dedication in the movement, the bold actions taking place, and the risks that activists are willing to face. I see that world emerging in the conversations I have with my young students who are curious about the activism I do and my passion for animal rights.

Let us create a planet where individuals are not assigned value according to whether they have fur, feathers, shells, or scales; whether they bark, moo, chirp, or hiss; or whether they run, fly, hop, or slither—but a planet where all living beings are valued regardless of appearance or behavior. May each individual be acknowledged for the ability to feel fear and joy, the capacity to suffer, and the capability to love. In this we all are the same.