Santa will lead a jolly pack of PETA members—including PETA’s 2020 Outstanding Activist Award winners Ashley Ollie and Len Goldberg—as they hand out free vegan hams and Tofurky roasts near the Maxi & Cie store on Côte-des-Neiges Road on Tuesday.
“PETA is happy to help people celebrate a humane holiday by leaving pigs and turkeys off the table,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “When it comes to having feelings, loving our families, and valuing our lives, we’re all the same, whether we have hooves, wings, or hands.”
Pigs’ tails are chopped off, their teeth are cut with pliers, and males are castrated—all without pain relief. At the slaughterhouse, they’re hung upside down and bled to death. Turkeys killed for food are hung upside down and dragged through an electrified bath, and they’re often still conscious when their throats are slit and they’re dumped into scalding-hot defeathering tanks.
In addition to promoting kindness to animals killed for food, Ollie and Goldberg are long-time fur foes. Their Outstanding Activist Awards honour their successful efforts this year to push Winners to ban fur through daring disruptions, protests, in-store discussions with managers, phone blitzes, an e-mail campaign, and more—a victory meaning that all TJX Companies brands, also including HomeGoods and Marshalls, are fur-free.
Where: The intersection of Chemin Bedford and Cote-des-Neiges, Montréal
When: Tuesday, December 22, 12 noon
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
On Tuesday, PETA’s alpaca mascot will be part of a spirited “Animals Are Not Ours to Wear” protest outside Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie stores downtown, where protesters will screen new, gruesome video footage from PETA Asia’s latest investigation of the wool industry—which revealed that shearers punch sheep and leave them bleeding from deep wounds—along with footage shot undercover on the premises of the world’s largest alpaca export company in Peru.
The protest is part of PETA’s new international campaign to persuade all Urban Outfitters, Inc., brands—which include Anthropologie, Free People, and Urban Outfitters—to stop selling wool, alpaca fleece, and all other clothing made from animals’ skin, wool, or feathers. PETA launched the campaign after Anthropologie was implicated in a first-of-its-kind PETA investigation into the alpaca industry revealing that workers on a farm in Peru tied crying alpacas to a rack, pulling their legs so hard that they nearly came out of their sockets, and left them with bloody wounds from rough shearing. The mutilated animals spat and vomited in fear.
“Urban Outfitters brands want to appeal to progressive young people, but they’re missing the mark by selling fleece taken from animals who are beaten, cut up, and killed when their own coats are stolen off their backs,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is holding Urban Outfitters to its pledge of sustainability and ethics by calling on the company to sell only the stylish vegan designs that it already stocks.”
PETA and its affiliates have released dozens of videos revealing abuse to gentle sheep; sensitive goats suffering from bloody, gaping wounds at mohair and cashmere operations; cows burned, electroshocked, beaten, and slaughtered for leather; and ducks and geese whose feathers are yanked out by the fistful for down.
Where: Urban Outfitters, 20 S. State St., Chicago
When: Tuesday, December 22, 12 noon
The protesters will then march to Anthropologie at 111 E. Chicago Ave. for a protest there at 1:30 p.m. and then to Urban Outfitters at 1100 N. State St. for a protest there at 2:30 p.m.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Christmas shoppers on Newbury Street will get an eyeful on Tuesday, when blindfolded PETA members in “bloody” sweaters will gather outside Urban Outfitters with realistic sheep props and signs proclaiming, “Don’t Let Them Pull the Wool Over Your Eyes.”
“Our undercover videos show what goes on in shearing sheds, where consumers aren’t welcome, because if shoppers saw gentle lambs being beaten bloody for the sake of wool sweaters and scarves, they wouldn’t buy them,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Cruelty doesn’t belong under the Christmas tree or on anyone’s back, which is why PETA recommends crossing wool off your shopping list and steering clear of Urban Outfitters, which sells animals’ stolen fleece and skin.”
PETA wants Urban Outfitters, Inc., brands—which include Anthropologie and Free People—to modernize and stop selling wool, leather, alpaca fleece, and anything else violently obtained from animals. Anthropologie was implicated in a first-of-its-kind PETA investigation revealing that workers mutilated alpacas during shearing. Other videos have revealed that workers hit, kick, and mutilate gentle sheep for their wool; leave sensitive goats with bloody, gaping wounds at mohair and cashmere operations; burn, electroshock, beat, and slaughter cows for leather; yank out the feathers of ducks and geese by the fistful for down; and boil silkworms alive to produce silk.
Where: Urban Outfitters, 361 Newbury St. (near Massachusetts Avenue), Boston
When: Tuesday, December 22, 12 noon
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
To the Lummi Nation, orcas are sacred. These self-titled People of the Sea draw no difference between their orca relatives and human kin. They have missed an important member of their family for the past 50 years: Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut. You may know her as Lolita. Captors abducted her from her ocean home and mother, believed to be the still-living orca named Ocean Sun. Lolita currently lives in the smallest orca tank in the world at the Miami Seaquarium.
In a historic new approach to reunite with Lolita, the Lummi People are doubling down on their efforts and teaming up with lawyers to sway the tides. Two Lummi elders intend to sue the Seaquarium under the Native America Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), a federal law which is used to return “objects” of cultural importance to Native Americans. They would demand the Seaquarium return Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut to her family—in the first time the law would be applied to a living being.
Elders Raynell Morris and Ellie Kinley are hoping that a lawsuit will not be necessary. They are optimistic the Seaquarium will work with them. The Lummi are making plans with The Whale Sanctuary Project for her long-awaited release to her original home in the waters with Ocean Sun.
“We know how Ocean Sun feels with her daughter still being enslaved,” Morris said. “We feel that healing can begin when Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut is brought home and is free.”
The ongoing quest to rescue Lolita gets to the heart of the rights of indigenous people. Her capture and imprisonment is an open wound for the Lummi People.
Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut has been without the company of another orca nearly since she was abducted from her home in the sea half a century ago. Her former tank mate Hugo died in 1980 after repeatedly ramming his head into a wall. The Lummi see Lolita as kin who was abducted from their territory, where they have lived together for thousands of years.
Lolita has been trapped in this small tank for nearly 50 years. The last time she saw another orca was in 1980, when her tank mate, Hugo, died after banging his head against the wall. #FreeLolitapic.twitter.com/BhBoAjiaFj
Outside the office of Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, PETA gathered to call for cruelty charges against Miami Seaquarium’s abusive treatment of the orca Lolita.
Keep the pressure on to retire Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut to a seaside sanctuary, where she can feel waves, hear her pod’s calls, and finally have some semblance of a natural life. She deserves to be with her family.
These grassroots activists went above and beyond to help animals, bringing our international campaigns to their cities. When the whole world came to a halt, they enthusiastically worked with PETA to win major campaigns. Today, PETA honors these Outstanding Activist Award winners for their impressive efforts.
Read on to find out which activists won big for animals:
Teamwork was the name of the game this year. The first dynamic duo are longtime advocates Ashley Ollie and Len Goldberg, who took on Winners Canada with gusto and won, pushing the company to go fur-free! This victory was no small feat, as TJX is the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods—just to name a few.
Ashley Ollie
Ashley spoke up for animals every single day of the year by posting animal rights stickers and posters throughout Montréal, volunteering at animal sanctuaries, and protesting slaughterhouses and experimenters.
“Whether we are in a pandemic or safe, there are always infinite ways [to] stop oppression of animals and accelerate the vegan revolution,” said Ashley.
She helped lead a campaign to prompt Winners to stop selling fur, sparked by her solo demonstration inside a Montréal store. Ashley helped organize in-store disruptions and e-mail blitzes that led this massive retailer to go fur-free in all Canadian stores. She also led protests to end Starbucks’ vegan milk surcharge that generated mainstream media coverage in Canada and led protests outside Walmart and Canada Goose stores along with her partner, Len Goldberg.
Len Goldberg
Ever since Len spoke out to fur-wearers in the early 1970s, he’s wanted to help end the fur industry. He accomplished a “primary life goal” this year when his and Ashley’s campaign against Winners ended in a huge victory for foxes, rabbits, and other animals killed for their fur.
Len told PETA, “When I defend animals I defend people, because humans will save themselves when they save animals.”
He also helps activists and groups across Canada advance their campaigns as an animal rights live-streamer. Any videos and memes he makes are consistently shared thousands of times on Facebook. P.S. This is Len’s 27-year anniversary of volunteering with PETA. That is dedication.
Pursuit of justice for all must include campaigning for animal rights. It’s the moral obligation of those in positions of privilege and power to amplify the voices of those who have been silenced. Leo makes it his mission to #EndSpeciesism.
“Momentum is currently swinging heavily in favor of the fight to obliterate the entire fur industry, and we must make the most of this opportunity,” said Leo.
The anti-fur movement is what originally drew Leo to animal rights many years ago. He believes that campaigning against fur is a fantastic entry point into activism and urges everyone to speak up for animals abused for their fur or skin. You can help: Take action by urging Urban Outfitters to stop selling products of cruelty, then share this petition with all your friends.
Nathan Semmel
Nathan knows that being vegan is not enough to liberate animals who are suffering. Minks don’t deserve to be tortured on filthy factory farms where sick animals are jammed together in cages—even Pamela Anderson agrees.
Nathan encourages everyone to take action for all the trapped, confined, tortured, and scared animals abused for their fur. (That means you, Canada Goose.) Urge Canada Goose to ditch fur and downfur good.
“I humbly share this award with all the NYC activists who inspire me. I believe we all have a responsibility to disrupt the status quo because the world in which we live still normalizes cruelty to animals,” Nathan told us.
“We all have the power to change the world, for better or for worse, with the choices we make every day. In the face of these huge injustices, being silent is not an option for me. I feel compelled to speak up because I know that we are capable of change,” said Rosemary.
Rosemary keeps herself busy when she’s not leading demonstrations: She not only helps organize DxE Chicago events but also leads a local Animal Rights Activists chapter and works as a vegan hospitality consultant.
Jodie Wiederkehr
Jodie also received a Hero to Horses Award earlier this year—she’s a superstar. As executive director of the Chicago Alliance for Animals and founder of the Partnership to Ban Horse Carriages Worldwide, she makes her city a more humane place for animals. And her effort pays off. Starting on January 1, 2021, horses will no longer suffer on Chicago’s cold, hard streets while pulling horse-drawn carriages.
“Horses have a true ally in Jodie, whose unwavering commitment and compassion have helped make Chicago the largest city in the country to shut down the cruel carriage industry,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.
She also founded the Center for Ethical Science, dedicated to informing the public about the cruel, misleading, and dangerous practice of animal experimentation.
*****
Rachel Levy
From disrupting Canada Goose’s grand opening in Soho to leading the charge against Saks Fifth Avenue for selling fur in New York City, Rachel is a true ally to animals. She is wholeheartedly determined to help stop the torture of millions of animals violently murdered each year for clothing.
“Just look into the eyes of [these] beautiful individuals. They are crying for mercy, and for their lives,” pleads Rachel.
Rachel knows that we have the moral responsibility to stand up against all cruelty to animals. She persuades live auctions and “wet markets” to surrender animals, including calves abused in the dairy industry and ducks and chickens slated for slaughter.
Ana Campos
This outspoken Floridian helped achieve a major victory for captive animals: SeaQuest, an exploitative and shady roadside petting zoo, was stopped from opening in a Fort Lauderdale mall. This sleezy company decided to drop its bid to open there as part of a lawsuit filed by PETA, the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida, and Ana.
Her activism helped prevent many animals from suffering at SeaQuest. A sloth named Flash and an otter named Jelly are among those who have died at the hands of the miserable business. Join Ana in speaking out against SeaQuest today.
Dozens of Other Remarkable Activists
These other outstanding activists will also receive an award from PETA:
Madi Pydisetty
Anastasia Rogers
Melanie Johnson
Bobby Bates
Saiju Gangadharan
Graciela Iparraguirre
Dani Alexander
Victoria Sova
Oliver Carlin
Alka Chandna
Ellen Ericksen
Michael Fujimori
Rachel Ogden
Jenny McQueen
Bryan and Carla Wilson
Stacy Dean
Bobby Cornn
Mary Chris-Staples
Morgan Hill
Matthew Tao
Maria Leonardi
Brittany Drake
Erika Wilkinson
Laura Ray
January Cook
Jeremy Shell
Andrea Diaz
Britt Menhart
Jeremy Beckham
Katerina Trabazo
Cindy, John, and Toni Anthony-Favia
Ashley Keith
Moshe Eckmann
Julie Graham
Jenny Brown
Conchita Caceres
Julia Novak
Julie Coffey
Sherry Blythe
Aaron Evans
Ken Penn
Rim El-iali
Trey Wharton
Shannon Blair
Jill Carnegie
Mary Ann Persad
Sam Campos
Cody Wayne
Cordelia Stone
Addison Lantz
Jon Stainback
Linda Cridge
Veronica Schade
You Can Be an Outstanding Activist, Too
Inspired by all the changes these activists have made? Take the lead as a volunteer who organizes and leads protests for one of PETA’s strategic campaigns at least every other month:
Not ready to plan your own demonstrations? You can be an activist every day from the comfort of your own home. Join PETA’s Action Team to create real, measurable change for animals by taking action without even leaving your bed:
She also led protests to 
As executive director of the Chicago Alliance for Animals and founder of the Partnership to Ban Horse Carriages Worldwide, she makes her city a more humane place for animals. And her effort pays off. Starting on January 1, 2021, horses will no longer suffer on Chicago’s cold, hard streets while 
