April Lang is a psychotherapist, Certified Humane Education
Specialist, and longtime vegan based out of NYC. She has always been deeply connected to
other animals and this informs her work with clients. As she writes on her
website, “
This connection has expanded my awareness, leading me to
respect and embrace differences, to want to help empower the marginalized, to
find ways to alleviate suffering, and to promote equality.” In her new book, Animal Persuasion: A Guide for Ethical Vegans and Animal Advocates in Managing Life’s Emotional Challenges, April combines her understanding of
vegan activism with her professional guidance skills, helping advocates develop
effective strategies for protecting our psyches in this world that is often
very uncaring about animals. From navigating relationships to managing your
emotions when you see someone in fur to keeping it together when the people
around you are eating flesh, April offers advice for co-existing while not suppressing
your voice. I have not read the book yet but it sounds wonderful! I am happy to
feature April Lang as this week’s Vegan Rock Star.
1. First of all, we’d
love to hear your “vegan evolution” story. How did you start out? Did you have
any early influences or experiences as a young person that in retrospect helped
to pave your path?
When I went off to college, I
decided I would no longer eat animals. I transitioned to vegetarianism slowly,
giving up eating a different animal every few months. Looking back, I can’t
remember why I chose that approach; I can only assume it seemed “reasonable” at
the time. Now when I think about it, I realize that’s the way many people
decide to give up eating animals, and it’s important to support each person’s
particular journey. I must admit that at that time, I knew practically nothing
about animal agriculture; I just knew it felt wrong to eat animals.
One day, many years after I had
given up eating meat, I stumbled upon a copy of Peter Singer’s
Animal Liberation lying on the
street next to a garbage bin at my local grocery store. I had heard of Singer’s
book, but had never read it. This was like the universe saying, “come on, it’s
time to get an education!” And Singer’s book was certainly educational, with its
heartbreaking descriptions of the lives and deaths of factory farmed animals. While
the book was incredibly powerful and eye opening, I remained a vegetarian. Apparently
something else had to happen for me to make the transition to veganism, and it
did.
About fifteen years ago, I took a
trip to
Farm Sanctuary (the one in Watkins Glen, NY) with some friends
and their dog.
Before the end of the
tour, I knew I was going to take that final step towards veganism. Amidst the
beautiful mountains and greenery, were a group of cows suffering with mastitis.
I had never heard of mastitis, let alone witnessed it up close. I was shocked
to see the condition they were in, a result of being constantly inseminated to
keep producing milk for humans. If this was the cost of eating my beloved ice
cream and cheese, they would never again touch my lips. Many years after this
trip, I am still enjoying my “ice cream” and “cheese” – all deliciously vegan!
2. Imagine that you are pre-vegan again: how could someone have talked to
you and what could they have said or shown you that could have been the most
effective way to have a positive influence on you moving towards veganism?
Two things come immediately to mind.
First, if someone had said to me, “you say you love animals, so why do you eat
them?” I actually said that to a friend of mine who spent years doing great
work as an animal rescuer. She paused, looked at me incredulously, and said, “I
never thought about that.” She became a vegetarian that day and more recently,
a vegan. If only all transitions to veganism played out so quickly and easily!
Equally effective would have been
someone showing me an undercover video taken at a slaughterhouse, such as the
one put out by
Mercy for Animals',
From Farm to Fridge. All I would have needed was the image and sounds of one
animal being tortured and killed to have turned vegan.
3. What have you found to be the most effective way to communicate your
message as a vegan? For example, humor, passion, images, etc.
I have found that to be effective in
communicating my message, I must always take into consideration the
person/people I’m speaking with. I try to get a sense of what they know about
the issue and how interested they are in learning about it. And I do monitor
the conversation very closely, always watching for signs I’m losing them,
either to boredom or overwhelm. I also try to be mindful of other people’s energy,
and will adjust my approach accordingly. At times, I have been quite forceful
and passionate and that resonates with some. With others, I can tell pretty
quickly after opening my mouth that a softer approach is warranted.
Images, whether photographs or
videos, are super powerful. The expression, “a picture is worth a thousand
words” is definitely true. However, it’s
important to keep an eye out for shutdown, as each person has a different
tolerance level for disturbing images. I see that in action whenever I go into
schools as a humane educator. Some of the students are riveted to the screen
when I show an undercover video while others put their heads down as soon as
the first disturbing image appears. So just being mindful of where people are
is really important if you want them to be responsive to what you’re saying.
4.
What do you think are the biggest
strengths of the vegan movement?
One of the biggest strengths of the
movement is the increasing amount of young people being drawn into it. Vegan
and animal rights clubs are turning up in middle schools and high schools, and
students handing out vegan literature, is now a common sight on many college
campuses. When I was in school, there were no animal rights clubs and nobody
was handing out pro-vegan literature. In fact, I had never even heard the term vegan
while growing up. It’s going to be this new generation that will move veganism
to the next frontier.
All the folks who are creating amazing
products, which don’t use animals and animal by-products, are a driving force
in helping veganism become more “user-friendly.” In fashion, companies like
Vaute Couture,
Brave Gentlemen, and
Olsenhaus,
offer consumers stylish clothing and shoes, while vegan cheeses from companies
like
Miyoko’s Kitchen or
Treeline, have given people (like me)
a scrumptious alternative to the dry and tasteless soy cheeses of yesteryear.
And let’s not forget those brilliant innovators from
Memphis Meats, who
are working on creating “meat” derived from the stem cells of animals (no animals
harmed in the process). Not everyone is motivated by ethics to become vegan. So
if we want these people to jump on the proverbial vegan bandwagon, it’s
important to give them options that taste good and look good. A big reason I
hear for people not going vegan is that they think they’ll feel deprived.
The current vegan movement is making sure that
never happens.
5. What do you think are our biggest hindrances to getting the word out
effectively?
I do believe that when we attack
people, shame them, and treat them with contempt, we’ve lost the opportunity
for constructive dialogue. I don’t mean to imply that our messages should never
be conveyed forcibly, because there are times when that’s the only way to make
a point. But just ask yourself, if someone came up to you and started
screaming, calling you names, and putting you down, would you really stay
around long enough to hear what they had to say? Most people wouldn’t. Once
defenses are up, the mind closes down. The cold hard truth must be communicated;
just be mindful of how you’re communicating it.
6. All of us need a “why vegan” elevator pitch. We’d love to hear yours.
My “pitch”, if you want to
call it that, is changeable. For example, there were times when I was at my
local gym when someone would ask me how I stay fit. Here was the perfect
opportunity to say, “it’s my vegan diet”, and then go on to explain what that
is. Then there were times when I went out to eat with people at a non-vegan
restaurant and they saw I chose vegan options.
That would sometimes prompt one of my fellow diners to ask me why I was
vegan and/or to tell me what they thought they knew about veganism. Here was an
opportunity to do a bit of educating about factory farming. Of course these
situations don’t always present themselves but when they do, I jump on them. I
also look for opportunities to mention I’m a vegan, such as when someone tells
me about the “great” steak restaurant he went to the night before. I might say,
“Oh, I’ve never gone there because I’m vegan.” Sometimes the other person wants
to engage and a good conversation ensues. Other times, the person drops the
ball and I let it go too. If I get even a little inkling that someone might be
interested in hearing what I have to say, I’m ready to engage, but I’m not
going to push the issue if their spoken or unspoken message to me is, “enough
already.”
7. Who are the people and what are the books, films, websites and organizations
that have had the greatest influence on your veganism and your continuing
evolution?
I had thought fossil fuels were the main culprit in global
warming. No, it’s methane, mostly from animal waste, which is the biggest
problem. It’s 86 times more destructive than carbon dioxide. And methane leaves
the atmosphere much more quickly than carbon dioxide – another good reason to
end animal agriculture.
Some of the biggest environmental organizations are
downplaying or outright ignoring the connection between animal agriculture and
global warming. Why? Got to keep the funds coming in from their supporters, a
good many of them being animal-eaters who won’t want to change their ways. It’s
certainly problematic if the big environmental organizations are more beholden
to their donors than to the planet,
A massive eye-opener and a very disturbing one at that –
most organic farms use the by-products of slaughterhouses to grow their crops.
What?!!!!!! I eat all organic and thought all those farms were producing clean
products. Think again. Veganic farming, which I had never heard of, is the
alternative. But those kinds of farms are still few and far between.
My evolution and education continues…
8. Burn-out is common among vegans: what do you do to unwind, recharge and
inspire yourself?
For me, there’s nothing better than
swing dancing to put a big smile on my face. I’ve always loved the music of the
1930’s – 1950’s, so being able to dance to those tunes is a magical experience.
I haven’t a care in the world when I’m on the dance floor.
9. What is the issue nearest and dearest
to your heart that you would like others to know more about?
I can’t really pick just one issue
– every form of animal abuse is what I want others to know about.
I suppose if I really had to narrow it down,
I’d focus on factory farming and bear bile farming. I’d choose the former
because of both the horrific and daily torture of the animals, as well as the
sheer numbers affected. And I’d pick the latter because too few people know
about this despicable industry. Most people aren’t aware that the bears are
kept locked in filthy, tiny cages, often with catheters permanently embedded in
their gallbladders so that the bile can be extracted. If they don’t first
succumb to disease, these bears may live in these cages for thirty years –never
being let out.
Animals Asia is doing great work to help these bears.
10. Please finish this sentence:
To me, being vegan is:
Non-negotiable and forever!
