Western University’s Vegan Society (WUVS) and the Women’s Studies Student Collective featured Hanh Nguyen at their “How Bigotry Begins” event on Tuesday, March 20.
Photo from Western’s Undergraduate Vegan Society
The event’s purpose was to introduce the idea of animal liberation while incorporating feminism, sexism, and racism with the importance of animal rights.
Hanh Nguyen is a young activist who has recently graduated from Yale University and has traveled the world standing up for animal liberation. She is also the author of “Language of Liberation: Radically Changing How We Think and Talk About Others.”
Misha Patel, a second-year student completing a double major in environmental health and medical sciences, stated that WUVS aimed to expose individuals to subconscious acts against animal liberation that they may be doing in their daily lives.
“For example, common insults we use without thinking still persist in society such as ‘monkey face’. Discrimination against different groups of human beings from different races, and non-humans was a large theme that Hanh touched on, and how bigotry has evolved throughout time,” said Patel.
“The part I valued the most from her talk is that after presenting, she opened the floor up to anyone who wanted to talk about questions or concerns. It gave rise to an interesting conversation on philosophical issues, ethical concerns, veganism as a role in animal liberation and human behaviour,” said Patel. “It was a great way to combine a room filled with different perspectives and thoughts on one common issue.”
The event had 65–70 people come out to hear Nguyen speak. Attendees of the event included a mix of Western students and London residents.
In addition to the speaker series, local vegan restaurants in London provided the attendees with food. Globally Local catered vegan burgers and fries and Plant Matter Bistro supplied vegan cookies and drinks.
Photo from Western’s Undergraduate Vegan Society
WUVS hosts a variety of educational and social events. These include presentations by acclaimed activists and authors, workshops, film screenings, potlucks, dinner outings, sanctuary visits and vegan outreach initiatives.
“This is my first year on WUVS and I love it… Being a vegan for 8 months now, I have discovered it’s not a smooth slide, but after meeting the WUVS team consisting of people who have been vegan for almost 5 years, it only inspires me to do more,” stated Patel “I have learned a lot from them, not only how to live a vegan lifestyle but how to communicate the things you believe in and make a difference in the community.”
To learn more about the Western University Vegan Society and how you can get involved click here!
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