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Biographies Dick
GregoryDick Gregory is no stranger to fighting injustice. This comedian, author, and activist has been an influential figure in the civil rights movement for more than 40 years and was an outspoken advocate for peace during the Vietnam War. As an ethical vegetarian, Gregory has often penned letters and made public service announcements in defense of animals. In a letter to the Marin Independent Journal, Gregory wrote, “Under the leadership of Dr. King, I became totally committed to nonviolence, and I was convinced that nonviolence meant opposition to killing in any form. … When I look at animals held captive by circuses, I think of slavery. Animals in circuses represent the domination and oppression we have fought against for so long. They wear the same chains and shackles.” More recently, Dick Gregory sent a letter to David Novak, CEO of KFC’s parent company, Yum! Brands, urging the company to adopt the animal-welfare improvements recommended by PETA and approved by KFC’s own advisory panel. The new standards would eliminate some of the worst abuses that chickens raised and killed for KFC’s menus are subjected to by the company’s suppliers. “Greed is all that is stopping KFC from improving the lives of 750 million birds every year,” says Gregory. “How can we hope to achieve a peaceful and just society when basic, human decency continues to take a back seat to the bottom line?” Now in his 70s, Gregory’s vegetarian diet keeps him healthy and active in his ongoing fight to help people and animals.  Alice
WalkerAward-winning author and activist Alice Walker has repeatedly demonstrated her compassion for animals over the years. The lyrical prose in her moving essay “Am I Blue?” draws parallels between the plight of animals and the plight of enslaved African-Americans. Walker was born in Georgia in 1944, the eighth child of two sharecroppers. When she was eight years old, her older brother accidentally shot her in the eye—blinding her. Despite her disability, she was the valedictorian of her high school, and she earned a bachelor of arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College. After college, Walker started the publishing company Wild Trees Press. Her passion for justice is woven throughout her prolific writing and life. She was involved in the civil rights movement of the 1960s and also actively works for women’s rights, animal rights, and nuclear disarmament.  |
