From Egan to Vegan: PETA Proposes Name Change for Local Street
For Immediate Release:
December 14, 2021
Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
Today, PETA asked Mayor Adrian Perkins and city council member LeVette Fuller to change the name of Shreveport’s Egan Street to Vegan Street in celebration of Veganuary—the popular January challenge during which people and businesses join in trying vegan foods for the month. Offering to contribute to new signage costs, PETA notes that the promotion of animal-friendly foods can improve human health, too—as Louisiana’s rates of heart disease and cancer far exceed the national average—and even slash the greenhouse-gas emissions that intensify local hurricanes because animal-based agriculture is one of the top causes of the climate crisis.
“Adding just one letter to Egan Street would send a message about the kindness that animals deserve, environmental protection, and good health,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “By taking up PETA’s simple suggestion, Shreveport could encourage a kinder, healthier, and more sustainable future.”
Over half a million people worldwide participated in Veganuary this year, double the number from 2019. Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year—including well over a dozen in Veganuary alone—daily suffering and a terrifying death at the slaughterhouse.
PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat.” The group opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and offers its own vegan challenge. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Perkins and Fuller follows.
December 14, 2021
The Honorable Adrian Perkins
Mayor of Shreveport
Dear Mayor Perkins:
I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally, and PETA U.S. is the largest animal rights organization in the world—with a suggestion that we hope you’ll find interesting: Ahead of Veganuary, an international celebration of eating well, would you consider changing the name of Egan Street to Vegan Street? In 2021, more than 500,000 people worldwide participated in Veganuary, twice as many as in 2019. With a new awareness of the climate crisis and the health concerns related to consuming animal-derived products, the number of participants next year is expected to rise exponentially. People are exploring healthy food choices as never before, and animals are breathing a sigh of relief. We’d be happy to contribute to the cost of new signage!
PETA’s exposés of factory farms and slaughterhouses are enough to make anyone lose their lunch. But while we’re primarily interested in stopping cruelty to animals, many people go vegan for a day, a month, or for life out of concern for their health.
Louisiana’s rates of heart disease, cancer, and obesity are far above the national average, and living vegan can help combat these health issues. A vegan diet can also lower blood sugar, decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and protect against prostate, breast, and colon cancer.
Then there’s the climate crisis. In a state so often devastated by hurricanes, I’m sure you’re always looking for ways to keep your community safe. As you well know, hurricanes have increased in intensity and destructive potential because of the climate crisis, and studies show that factory farming plays a major role. In fact, the animal-agriculture industry contributes almost one-fifth of all greenhouse-gas emissions—more than all car and truck emissions combined.
By renaming the street to join in the Veganuary celebrations, you would have peas of mind knowing that you’re promoting the health of your community. Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours truly,
Ingrid Newkirk
President
cc: LeVette Fuller, Shreveport City Council Member, District B Representative
