Cinco de Mayo Mexican Vegan Potluck and Film Viewing Party

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

With Cinco de Mayo falling on a Saturday, it seemed the perfect opportunity to celebrate vegan Mexican cuisine and hoist our Margaritas to the delicious flavors of our South of the Border neighbors. While our piñata seemed to have a lining made of lead, it nonetheless finally gave up its vegan contents when some real muscle arrived on the scene. We enjoyed burritos (the best ever!), tamales, mostly raw salad (hard to stop eating), salad, chips, salsa, and an accidentally Lemon Upside Down Tart. Despite the tart landing facedown on the oven door, not a scrap was left and no one went hungry. Next time we need to ask our friends to come, too, so we won’t have so many leftovers!

Documentary Film Viewing To Understand Other Animals

Best of all, we watched the touching film, My Life As A Turkey. This film is the journal of a man who spent over a year with a rafter of Wild Turkeys, from egg to adulthood. Alone, he became their pseudo mother and gained a deep affection and appreciation for these amazing animals. Like many other species, turkeys are often misunderstood and maligned, but this film helped educate us about their individuality, intelligence and ability to experience joy, fear, grief and anger. An excellent film to inspire debate, this film helped us to decide to make film viewing a regular part of our self-education and use them as potential for outreach to non-vegan friends and family as well.

If you missed this film, there will be another film viewing potluck in July. We will be showing One Lucky Elephant, the story of one man’s struggle to understand another animal and his determination to make right an earlier wrong.

Oak Cliff Earth Day and ARRNT’s Tabling Premier

Char helped with absolutely everything!

Barb spreading the word on Earth Day

On a hot, blue-sky day, Animal Rights & Rescue unveiled our new gold canopy, logo banner, and table coverings at the Oak Cliff Earth Day. The organizers of the event were welcoming, helpful, and created a well-run event that resulted in neighbors joining with neighbors in sharing space, time and work. The spirit of cooperation led ARRNT to combine forces with many other groups including rescues, vegan advocacy groups, environmental groups, health groups, and educators.  We are hoping that this one festival will create many new networking opportunities for our group as well.

While our space overlooking the lake was not as high volume as some, it was by far the loveliest. We did have many people stop by and take literature, talk with us, procure a reusable shopping bag (courtesy of Oak Cliff Shell) and a few lucky shoppers were given a free book if they expressed interest in the topic. The Kid’s Table, all of two feet tall, had its own custom covering to match the larger table, and it was a hit with the younger set. Free necklace with animal photos were given to many children, as were facts about the chosen animals.

If you missed it, consider the upcoming Texas State Veggie Fair in October. With an increasing number of vendors, this should be the best By then we will know how to set up and take down the tent and have a better idea what works to get the public interested in our booth.

Beautiful Lake Cliff Park on a gorgeous Spring Day!

Claire, Adam and Ellie man the booth

Campus Outreach at UTA Yields Results

Due to inclement weather, spread-out population and a dominant car culture, DFW is a difficult area in which to table. So it was with great delight that we participated in a collaborative effort with The Vegan Club at the University of Texas at Arlington. The Vegan Club also invited Mercy for Animals to join us, making it a three-pronged approach. Our own Char Duncan jumped at the opportunity and requested free samples from vendor supporting the March Meatout events across the globe. We found ourself with So Delicious ice cream sandwiches, Almond Breeze plant milks, Primal Strips, Parma, Field Roast Sausages, Vegan turkey slices, and about three hundred Vega protein bars to distribute.  We had free samples, nutritional information, and coupons for even more vegan products. Not too many hungry college students turned down the offer of free food! When classes were in session and the table grew temporarily quiet, our busy activists went out in search of students to get to sample vegan food and read our literature.

Collaboration for Animals….and Kids!

Next to the ARRNT table was a group of students requesting donations to facilitate clean water for third world children through UNICEF.  Since The Vegan Club had arranged for a $1 Pay Per View event, some students earned the $1 and went next table over to donate it to the UNICEF table — clean water for kids, peaceful palates for animals. Now THAT is a collaborative effort! We brought vegan samples to everyone working in the area, too. Giving away free food along with information is a great, winning combination for helping to dispel myths and open minds to animal rights.

One of the highlights of the day was the opportunity to discuss the challenges of outreach in the DFW area. Nora Kramer, Texas Campaign Coordinator for Mercy for Animals, shared her expertise and offered many helpful hints for our less experienced activists. She also offered further support and trainings and agreed to attend one of our upcoming meetings, too. Increasing understanding between groups with slightly different emphasis often helps both become stronger and forges increased understanding betweens allies.

Thanks, Vegan Club!

The Vegan Club had nearly twenty students sign up to join them,  vegan pledges were signed, and several students watched a film about the plight of animals, a number decreased due to technical difficulties. ARRNT provided the tables and chairs, VC provided the venue and Pay Per View, the vendors and VegFund provide the food samples, and the students…..well, the students made the whole event worthwhile! Many wonderful conversations took place and many students were given food for thought along with their samples. Mercy for Animals activists Nora and Jeff gave out many vegan information fliers and, if one includes their effort, we estimate we reached about a thousand students in all.  Not bad for our first tabling event!

Annual ARRNT Benefit a Success

On a beautiful Spring Saturday in March, ARRNT held another benefit and garage sale. Learning from past sales, we anchored our large, more colorful signs with sandbags (kitty litter) and twist-tied them to boxes that would not budge. The amount of traffic was also encouraged by the good weather, the visible signs, and by a neighborhood conjoint sale that was well-publicized and well documented. Shoppers arrived before the doors even opened, with three people getting a preview and purchasing some items that normally never sell. We also had three people shopping to send things overseas to people who would appreciate our donated items.

Thanks to Helpful ARRNT Members

Helping to price items before the sale were ARRNT members Char and Margaret, who did a great job of getting us ready to make a sale. Char added sizes to the price tags of clothing items and Margaret looked up unknown still-in-the-package items from Ikea in order to identify and price them. Helping out on sale day were members Char (the early shift), Adam and Claire (the cleanup crew). By the end of the sale, all items were sorted for a future sale or for donating to another rescue group.

Supporting Our Mission through Fundraising

The sale earned us enough money to pay our fees for the next six months, with almost enough left to purchase a pop-up tent with sidewalls for tabling. These tents are required at most events and help to keep volunteers safe from wind, rain and sun while manning the tables. With tent rentals at $100 per event, it is prudent to purchase a durable tent for all the many future plans we have! Possible future plans for tabling include the Earth Day festival in Oak Cliff, the Eco-Festival or State Veggie Fair in the fall. (We will also be tabling with the Vegan Club at the UTA campus this month, too.) We will be looking for opportunities to collaborate with like-minded groups who may want to join us in our work to increase understanding and respect for all other beings on the planet.

A big Thank You to everyone who supported the event. We even received some donations from the community and talked with interested citizens about what is happening to animals, how animals are sentient, intelligent and often misunderstood by humans, and all too often used as commodities rather than respected as valued living beings. A few people took our business cards, and a copy of our dairy information sheet was put in every bag for everyone who shopped. Let’s hope the real pay-off for the benefit will be in educating the public!

Books for Animal Advocates

by Barbara DeGrande

If we want to liberate animals, we need to understand the history of our movement. We need to understand the connection between all forms of exploitation and how our choices impact the lives of other animals. In order to educate ourselves, there are many wonderful resources available. Among  many of these resources are the excellent books available on the topic.  Want your favorite added? Contact Adam, Barb or Char to share.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Speciesism by Joan Dunayer is a highly accessible book that shines a bright light on how our language and attitudes adversely impact other animals.

Rain Without Thunder by Gary Francione is an important theoretical book that makes a case for the abolition of animal use and the end of the property status of animals from a law professor’s perspective.

Empty Cages by Tom Regan is a look at ideas behind our desire to achieve animal liberation.

An Unnatural Order by Jim Mason examines the significance of our becoming a herding culture and the horrific consequences thereof.

The World Peace Diet by Will Tuttle is a look at intuition, spirituality, and the ways in which human beings have lost connection with their own animal nature.

On Their Own Terms by Lee Hall is a look at respecting animals by allowing them to live without human domination or interference.

Green is the New Red by Will Potter – While the emphasis is on so-called eco-terrorists, Will Potter’s book is also a relevant read for animal activists, too.

Muzzling a Movement by Dora Lovitz – Ms. Lovitz looks at the Animal Enterprise Terrorist Act and how it is silencing dissent.

Change of Heart by Nick Cooney – This book is filled with practical ideas, based on research to help us improve our effectiveness as advocates.

An American Trilogy by Steven Wise is an intriguing book that examines one location in North Carolina that has seen the decimation of Native Americans, the exploitation of African Americans, and now is the site for factory farmed animals.

Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer examines our cultural consumption of animals, what that means for the animals, and what conscientious consuming really means.

Winter 2012 Executive Committee Meeting

by Barbara DeGrande

Our first Executive Committee Meeting of the year went high-tech with a coordinated Skype call. Due to time and distance constraints, we found it difficult to have our usual in-person format. Joining us for the first time was new committee member Char Duncan. Char brings a world of activist experience to the table and is involved in many aspects of advocacy work, including her new position as volunteer at the Arlington Animal Shelter.

For our first order of business, we determined we would host another Loving Hut Meetup in early February. Not only are these meetups our most popular, but they have been a good source of donations due to the generosity of those attending. We generate many new ideas from these supportive meetups and really appreciate the great turnouts, activists, and conversations that take place.

We also identified two collaborative efforts that we wanted to tackle: Char will be coordinating with Savanna Batten of Animal Connection of Texas (ACT) to find out about the possibility of offering vegan support to the local Occupy House. Savanna has been instrumental in veganizing the Occupy movement locally, and helping advocates understand the interconnection of all types of exploitation. Adam will be coordinating with Anna Mai of the Vegan Club at UTA for possible future collaboration, tabling or leafleting on campus. Adam has also voiced interest in moving into the Media Coordinator position, while reducing his role but still remaining involved with social media. This is an emerging position that will become more critical as we begin to stage demonstrations, protests, and participate in tabling events.

Work will continue on the upcoming Garage Sale, slated for early March. We are still receiving donations but will be ending acceptance of donated items in about four weeks, so now is the time to clean out those closets and garages and find what you no longer need that is resale-able.  These events help pay our monthly expenses as well as help with outreach material, a needed popup tent for tabling, and the purchase of a new logo banner that will match our new business cards.

And so the year 2012 begins! According to the Chinese calendar, this is going to be The Year of the Dragon, a year that symbolizes power, wealth, and good fortune. May it also be a year that liberates many, many other animals.

Advocacy Groups in the North Texas Area

Animal Rights & Rescue is not the only group working to advocate against exploitation in the North Texas region. We have learned of the work of many of our fellow advocates and wanted to highlight the important work they are doing in our region, for the benefit of others. These groups include:

Animal Connection of Texas primarily supports single issue campaigns against some of the worst animal abusers in the State. They have demonstrated against the circus, the rodeo, slaughterhouses, cattle auctions, fur sales, and pet stores that buy from puppy mills.

DFW Harp Seal Rescue is working to end the needless slaughter of innocent baby Harp Seals in Canada.

DFW Wildlife works tirelessly to help injured and ill wildlife, to promote knowledge about wildlife, and to assist the public by referring to appropriate services.

Emergency Horse Transport helps meet the transportation needs for animals in emergency situations.

Feral Friends works to assist feral felines who otherwise have very difficult lives.

Friends of Arlington Animal Shelter work to save as many animal lives as possible in the City of Arlington, Texas through aggressive and creative outreach.

Furever Friends is a rehoming agency that helps saves animal lives by offering fostering and adoption events for domesticates.

Metroplex Animal Coalition is a collective of animal rescues that help find homes for the homeless domesticates in the DFW area.

Occupy Dallas works the give voice to the exploited majority of citizens.

Pawsitively Texas works to help the homeless domesticates reach a wider audience of potential forever homes.

Prairie Paws is the animal shelter for the Grand Prairie area.

Serenity Springs Farm Animal Sanctuary rescues farm animals, horses, goats, donkeys, cows, pigs, cats and dogs as well as birds such as chickens and peacocks.

SPCA of Texas works primarily on rehoming owner-surrendered animals, often the first animals to be euthanized in public shelters.

Transpawtation TX is a group that assists rescued animals find transport to their new homes throughout the north Texas area.

UTA Vegan Club is an active group that works to support veganism and vegans on campus and in the community.

UNT Vegan Club is at the university with the nation’s only all vegan cafeteria.

We look forward to finding ways to collaborate with our fellow advocates as we, too, work to build a better tomorrow for all residents of Texas, both human and nonhuman.

ARRNT: Our Year in Review

by  Barbara DeGrande

While we went online in November of 2010, our group began meeting in early 2011. We now have over sixty members supportive of our mission statement, with 165 followers on  Twitter (@ARRNorthTexas) and over 250 on our Facebook page. We started this blog, started developing a Speaker’s Bureau, and began developing partnerships with other animal advocacy groups. We even took on a wager with a fellow animal rights group, St. Louis Animal Rights Team (START), who gave us a sound beating. Many of our members are also members of other advocacy groups, so we are expanding our networking for animals, too. Here are a few of the things that happened in the past year:

ARRNT in 2011

• We hosted two fundraisers and opened a non-profit bank account
• We received a grant from VegFund to help pay our Meetup dot com dues
• We registered as a non-profit DBA as ARRNT and Animal Rights & Rescue of North Texas in Tarrant County
• We purchased a banner, leaflets, business cards.
• We selected a full color logo, had tee shirts printed, and used our logo for our on-line presence
• We attended the State Veggie Fair
• We attended and helped host a luncheon and workshop given by Will Tuttle of The World Peace Diet
• We participated in two leafleting events
• We began holding Executive Committee Meetings and establishing goals
• We hosted two potlucks and three meetups at a local vegan restaurant
• We participated in rescue training in North Richland Hills
• We hosted a film showing and discussion about activism
• We contacted many businesses and governmental entities regarding our presence, met the leaders of other animal advocacy groups, and looked for possible venues for future tabling and outreach

What is Ahead in 2012?

The first two years of a new group, especially an advocacy group, are often primarily building membership and a sense of community. We have been fortunate to have many dedicated individuals on board and have already began to work towards our advocacy goals while still increasing our sphere of influence online. With a full complement of plans for the coming year, things are sure to get more exciting and productive in 2012 — stay tuned!

Animal Rights and Rescue – What’s in a Name?

by Barbara DeGrande

Our name signifies two ideas: animal rights, and animal rescue. Our purpose is to increase respect for all animals, regardless of species, in the North Texas area and to become rescue ready to help them individually in case of a natural or human-caused disaster. Most of the animals suffering and dying do so because of human-caused actions. Our lust for their flesh, skin, fur, and bodily secretions makes these vulnerable animals prey to the whims of a dominant species – us! By far, more animals are harmed, tormented, and killed for food than in any other single way. The deforestation, predator kills (such as wolves), round ups of wild horses and burros, murder of orangutans due to habitat destruction; all of these practices are exacerbated by our lust for herd animal flesh. And millions of humans are dying due to the impractical and unsustainable manner in which the bulk of humanity tries to feed itself.

Rights, Utilitarianism, and Welfarism

Often, people will cite a large animal advocacy group such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or The Humane Society of the United States when they hear the term, “animal rights,” yet neither of these groups earns the title. While PETA does use the term, they reveal they are not rightists, but rather utilitarians. HSUS is a welfare organization that is not working to liberate animals, but to reduce their suffering. They often partner with animal agriculture to improve methods of treatment of animals, but do not object to their use by humans at all.

Animal Rights and Respecting Others

What do we mean by Animal Rights? We mean respecting the rights of individual animals to life and liberty . It means acknowledging that their lives mean as much to them as ours do to us. It means not using animals for our own purposes, but respecting them for their intrinsic value. It is a contract between human beings about how we view our relationship and responsibility to vulnerable others. Recent research continues to illluminate the complexity of animal intelligence, sentience, social relationships, empathy, and moral judgement. Whether or not they look like us or we are able to understand their way of communication and expression, other animals are part of the same world to which we humans belong. Respecting other animals only leads to a better, more harmonious life for all living things.

Who Shall We Rescue?

Someone asked, when our group was brand new, who we wanted to rescue? It is a good question, with a very big answer: we want to rescue ALL animals from the attitude of speciesism in which they are dominated and exploited. But our name refers to local disaster rescue as well as towards a commitment to educate our community to connect the dots — all exploitation is related. Our primary task is education in order to save animal lives and further respect and understanding between all species. We want to be rescue ready for hands-on help for often-forgotten animals as well as to have a community presence educating the public about the inherent worth of animals and the significance of veganism. If you have not already, please join us!

Empowering the Individual: Personal, Stealth, and Online Advocacy

 

by Adam Little

Hello there ARRNT and fellow supporters! I’d like to take a moment and speak with you about what you can do, as individuals, to benefit other animals today! Activist groups should be encouraged because of the camraderie and cooperation they bring, but it is, of course, always still important to realize the power of one! Similar to groups, individual advocates are capable of educating others at local, national, and international levels.

Recognizing Advocacy Opportunities

When speaking with friends, famliy, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. there are no doubt times when the subject of “veganism” or “animal rights” will come up. This is the perfect time to educate others. Generally, I believe it is best that we not “preach” the message and instead let the person or persons your talking with “steer” the conservation so as to make them feel comfortable and become overall more receptive to our message. Of course, when asked straight out “why are you vegan” or “why you support x” I believe it is beneficial to remain truthful, which your audience will be appreciate, even if they do have an aversion to certain topics such as the “ethical argument” of veganism.

Outreach to Strangers

They don’t have to be people you know either! Go out and buy some leaflets and other reading material, and hit the streets! Generally, it is best to find outlets that are closer to what we believe in such as natural food stores or farmer’s markets. Always be careful though, and be sure to leave when an employee or manager asks you to leave. You getting arrested in this instance will not help other animals in any way.

Personal discussions are great, but what about that great mass of people we may never reach? How can we possibly, as individuals, sway that average and anonymous Joe or Jane on the street? There are certainly a lot of ways to approach this, but the one I find to be the most effective is “stealth” advocacy. Stealth advocacy can mean many things, but mostly it entails grabbing a leaflet or poster and slipping them into places where people may find them. You can do this at work (although be discreet), your local library, city hall, dentist, restaurant, etc. This is a great way to reach a great sum of people in a short amount of time. It is also fantastic for those “shy” activists among us!

Finally, I’d like to talk about what I believe is the most important tool for individual advocates. The internet! The internet is a great resource and outlet for reaching a large number of people at a national and international level. And cheaply too! Facebook, twitter, and online public forums in particular are your best friends when attempting this endeavor. They make it easy and appropriate to bring up topics on social justice and promptly debate them. You might be interested in Dr. Roger Yate’s view on this matter!

Remember: Be respectful, coherent and, in some situations (depending on your audience), simplistic and to the point. For the sake of your mental health, you may want to adopt the “post and flee” approach in which you merely supply some information, move on, and let onlookers judge for themselves. Some of these people are simply relentless and going point by point with them doesn’t always help.

What Works for You?

As always, we appreciate those of you who deeply care about these issues, and seek to extend the moral paradigm past the limited scope of “humanity.” As individual advocates, I truly believe you make up some of the greatest people on this planet. Thanks for reading. Comments and discussion are always appreciated!