i am organizing the annual world wide vegan bake sale in Dallas and this year im leaning towards donating the proceeds to a humanitarian based organization as opposed to an animal based organization.
my justification is this-there are countless groups and charities dedicated to improving the lives of animals within the factory farm system, domesticated animals in shelters, and raising awareness about pursuing a vegan lifestyle. but there is little awareness being raised within the vegan community about the human rights violations that are caused by big agriculture. everyone seems to think we as vegans live a “cruelty free lifestyle” but this is not the case when you factor in the human element. i feel this is an opportunity to raise awareness about the other side of agriculture? we are so used to seeing animals in cramped spaces, animals being beaten by careless factory farm workers, downed cows and baby chickens being tossed into meat grinders. i never hear members of my community talking about the workers that harvest crops or the conditions of workers within this industry, and if they do talk about it, they claim that a plant based diet will cure all. im not sure thats the case.
plus, Mercy For Animals will probably have a table at the sale, along with other Dallas based animal rights groups.
i am not suggesting that one cause is greater or more pressing than the other, just the the importance of intersectionality? or maybe i am, who knows…
my donation options are between Serenity Springs Wildlife Center and the Texas Civil Rights Project.
thoughts?
