Episode 104: Interview with Ronnie Lee, co-founder of the Animal Liberation Front, about consistency and vegan ethics

This week, I am pleased to present my third interview with the long-time animal liberation activist Ronnie Lee. Ronnie has been a vegan for more than five decades and is best known for co-founding the Animal Liberation Front in the 1970’s. Currently he works to educate the public about the importance of becoming vegan. He also encourages vegans to become more involved in vegan education initiatives, in order to work towards the abolition of the exploitation and oppression of our fellow animals.

In this interview, Ronnie describes what it was like trying to obtain vegan-friendly food in the 1970’s. Then we discuss why war, environmental destruction, and human rights violations are not in alignment with the vegan ethic; why it’s important to challenge speciesism and human supremacism, rather than focusing primarily on cruelty; and how we can more effectively interact with the mainstream media. Ronnie also speaks about the role of anti-vivisection campaigning within the animal rights movement over the years, and he shares his views on celebrity culture within the vegan community.

After listening to this episode, you may be interested in tuning in to the two latest episodes of Still Alive!, the online talk show that Ronnie co-hosts with Roger Yates: The Media and the Message and Vegans and War.

You can listen to the episode above or on CKCU 93.1 FM's website. You can also download the MP3 file from Archive.org.

You can find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to advocate for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 88: Interview with sociologist Roger Yates about vegan values and history, problematic advocacy campaigns, and the joy of animal liberation

This week, I am pleased to present my fifth interview with the sociologist and animal rights advocate Roger Yates, who has been a vegan since 1979. I previously interviewed Roger for Episode 19, Episode 21, Episode 29, Episode 50, and Episode 79 of my show.

In this interview, Roger speaks about the values held by the founders of the vegan social movement. Additionally, he describes how people obtained information about veganism and animal rights prior to the widespread use of the Internet, how the language that vegan advocates use has changed over the years, and what he imagines a vegan world would be like. We also discuss our views on the Million Dollar Vegan campaign and Veganuary, and Roger tells the story of the time when he witnessed rescued rabbits touching the grass for the first time in their lives.

This was a great discussion!

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/59042.html.
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-january-11-2023.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 85: Interview with Wendy McGovern about respecting other animals' rights and creating a vegan world

This week, I am pleased to present my interview with the animal rights activist Wendy McGovern. Wendy has been a vegan since about 1997. She has been involved in a variety of vegan and animal advocacy initiatives over the years, including hosting the London Animal Rights March in 2021. She is the host of the Thrive Vegan World podcast and a co-panelist on the Animal Rights Show on YouTube.

In this interview, Wendy shares her story of becoming vegan, and she tells me about her motivation and experiences as a vegan podcast host. We also discuss the “Why Love One But Eat The Other?” argument for going vegan; why vivisection (like all other forms of animal exploitation) is fundamentally unethical; how the animal rights movement has changed over the years; and how we can work towards a vegan world. Wendy also shares her reading recommendations and describes the best thing about being vegan.

The song, "Vegan World", by the vegan musician Katie Veg, can be heard after the interview.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/57777.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-september-28-2022.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 80: Interview with Ronnie Lee about the history of the animal liberation movement, the importance of vegan advocacy, and the concept of vegan "journeys"

This week, I am pleased to present my second interview with the vegan animal liberation activist Ronnie Lee. Ronnie Lee is best known for being one of the founders of the Animal Liberation Front, which began in the 1970s. Currently he works to educate the public about the importance of becoming vegan. His 50th veganniversary took place earlier this year.

In this interview, Ronnie reflects on how the animal liberation movement has evolved over the years, and he describes the impact that social media has had on the movement. He also explains why doing vegan advocacy is essential in order to achieve animal liberation, and he offers his views on consumerism and vegan “journeys”.

At the end of the episode, we'll listen to Laura Nyro's "Lite a Flame (The Animal Rights Song)", which was released in 1993.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/56989.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-july-16-2022.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 69: Vegan animal rights music and quotes

Go vegan! Art by the vegan artist, Jo Frederiks.

For this week’s episode, I’ve decided to do something a little different. Instead of an interview, we’ll be listening to a variety of songs about veganism and animal rights. I've also included an assortment of thought-provoking quotes by historical and modern-day animal advocates, including Leo Tolstoy, Donald Watson, Tom Regan, Sandra Higgins, Gary Francione, and Will Tuttle.

The following songs can be heard on this episode:

• "My Innocence Begins Today" by Alex Arndt & the Sonic Universe
• "The Voiceless" by Tonya G.
• "The Man in the ALF Shirt" by Jennifer Faust, the Vegan Songstress
• "Sixth Commandment" by Dr. Aryan Tavakkoli
• "The Call of Justice" by Tribunal Animal
• "Just Like Us" by Vegan Queen V
• "Alive!" by Dr. Will Tuttle

It was a lot of work to put together this episode, but I'm glad that I did. I invite you to share it with anyone who needs a reminder of why they are vegan or anyone who could use some inspiration to become vegan.

Becoming vegan, encouraging others to go vegan, and speaking up for animals' fundamental rights is the only way that we can achieve a world in which we live in peace with our fellow sentient beings, a world in which animal exploitation has been abolished. The choices that we make, as individuals, matter. Never ever doubt your ability to make a difference!

Carolyn, the host of Always for Animal Rights

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/54490.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-december-8-2021.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 21: The sociologist Roger Yates discusses rights-based claimsmaking and the Animal Liberation Front

This week’s episode of Always for Animal Rights features Part Two of my recent interview with the sociologist and vegan animal rights advocate Dr. Roger Yates. (To listen to Part One of the interview, please click here.)

Roger is the author of a blog called On Human Relations with Other Sentient Beings, and he is a co-founder and organizer of the Vegan Information Project in Ireland. His 2005 PhD dissertation, which you can read here, focused on the social construction of speciesism.

On today’s show, Roger explains the difference between rights-based and welfarist messaging. He emphasizes that, when speaking to journalists and the public about animal rights, we should speak out against animal rights violations (exploitation), rather than violations of animal welfare standards (“cruelty”).

He also speaks about the effects that the Animal Liberation Front had when he was a Press Officer for the ALF in the 1980’s. As well, Roger offers his reading recommendations for those who want to learn more about rights-based animal rights and the connections between the oppression of nonhuman animals and the oppression of humans.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can hear this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/47516.html.
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afarapril12020.

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram.

Until next time!

Episode 19: The sociologist Roger Yates discusses rights-based animal rights and the importance of grassroots vegan activism

This week on Always for Animal Rights, I am pleased to present Part One of my interview with the animal rights advocate and sociologist Dr. Roger Yates.

Roger currently runs a blog called On Human Relations with Other Sentient Beings, and he is a co-founder and organizer of the Vegan Information Project in Ireland. His 2005 PhD dissertation, which you can read here, focused on the social construction of speciesism. He was also a Press Officer for the Animal Liberation Front in the 1980's.

Some of Vegan Information Project's banners, discussed on the show

In Part One of this interview, Roger told me about what he calls "rights-based animal rights", and he highlighted why our messaging needs to convey the idea of rights rather than welfare. He also spoke about what we can learn from the unique model of grassroots vegan advocacy that is currently being used in Ireland.

The article about Tom Regan and the rights-based approach, which I mentioned in the interview, can be found here.

It's a great interview, and I hope you'll take a listen! Stay tuned for Part Two in the near future.

How to listen to this episode

Currently, CKCU 93.1 FM's radio show hosts are not physically going to the station because of the coronavirus situation, so I wasn't able to broadcast this episode on air this week.

However, you can still listen to this episode on Archive.org (or download the MP3 or WAV file) at https://archive.org/details/afarmarch182020

(Update: This episode has also been published as a podcast on CKCU's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/47483.html.)

If you would like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on this blog, you can subscribe by typing your e-mail address in the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar. You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram!

The next episode of Always for Animal Rights will come out soon. I will try to keep producing episodes on a regular basis-- perhaps even more often than when I was broadcasting the show on-air. I am not sure when CKCU will be open again, but I very much look forward to the day when it is and I can broadcast my show live again!

I would like to thank my listeners (you!) for your continued encouragement and moral support. :)

Episode 18: Ronnie Lee on the importance of vegan education

This week on Always for Animal Rights, we heard Part Two of my interview with Ronnie Lee, founder of the Animal Liberation Front. (To listen to Part One of the interview, please check out Episode 16.)

In this episode, Ronnie outlines his strategy for what animal rights movement needs to do to work to end the oppression of nonhuman animals. This discussion especially focuses on the importance of local vegan education groups. Ronnie, who is the founder and an organizer of Wyre Forest Vegans, emphasizes the serious need for vegans to become activists and organizers. The success of the animal rights movement depends, to a significant extent, upon vegans educating the public to go vegan for animal rights.

After that, Ronnie explains how the current environmental crisis is caused by speciesism, and he answers my question about what he finds most rewarding about being an animal rights activist.

It's an interesting interview. I hope you'll listen to this week's show!

At the end of the show is the song "For the Innocent" by xTRUE NATUREx.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways to listen to the episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/47282.html.
2. Listen online or download the MP3 from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afarmarch42020.

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram!

The next episode of Always for Animal Rights will be broadcast on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 18th, 2019-- and, of course, it will be available to listen to afterwards, as well.

Episode 16: Ronnie Lee, founder of the Animal Liberation Front, discusses ALF history and the new definition of veganism

This week, I am pleased to present Part One of my recent interview with the animal rights activist Ronnie Lee. Ronnie founded the Animal Liberation Front in the 1970’s, and he has been involved in various animal rights and vegan education initiatives over the years. The Animal Liberation Front, of course, is a leaderless non-violent movement that rescues animals from exploitation and damages the equipment and property of animal exploitation industries.
 
In Part One of our interview, Ronnie told me about the history of the Animal Liberation Front and some of its accomplishments so far. We also discussed the new definition of veganism that Ronnie co-wrote with Tony Harris in 2017. This definition, which is also known as the Vegan Flag definition, can be seen below.

“Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of animals, which extends beyond dietary considerations to the avoidance of all types of animal use or abuse, including harm to their natural habitats.

“It includes a moral duty to actively oppose animal exploitation by encouraging and educating others to become vegan, with the core aim being the eradication of speciesism.”

At the end of the show, we'll hear Queen V's song called "Wearing My Blood".

In Part Two, which we will hear on a future episode, Ronnie explained what the animal rights movement needs to do in order to end the oppression of non-human animals.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways to listen to the episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/46870.html. At the end of the show, there was a technical issue while Queen V's song was playing. The interruption doesn't last very long, though.
2.  Listen to the episode on Archive.org or download the MP3 file at https://archive.org/details/afarfebruary52020.

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram!

The next episode of Always for Animal Rights will be broadcast on CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa on Wednesday, February 19, 2019-- and, of course, it will be available to listen to afterwards, as well.