PETA Founder to Hold Open Forum at Brown University

People With All Viewpoints Encouraged to Attend as Ingrid E. Newkirk Fields Audience Questions About Animal Rights, Human Obligations

For Immediate Release:
March 17, 2014

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk‘s passion for defending animals has prompted her to spend time in a Pennsylvania prison for disrupting pigeon shoots, taking over a fur designer’s office, pulling a horse carriage through the streets of Mumbai, lying naked in a coffin in New York’s Times Square, and more. And on Tuesday, she’ll discuss humanity’s relationship with animals—from the food on our plates and beyond—in a special address at Brown University titled, “Animal Rights, Human Obligations.” The free event, which is being presented by the Brown Vegetarian Society and is open to the public, will also include a lively stage interview with questions from the audience as well as a reception with vegan hors d’œuvres.

When:   Tuesday, March 18, 5 p.m.

Where:  Barus & Holley, Rm. 166, Brown University, Providence 

“Everyone from skateboarders to former President Bill Clinton is going vegan, but there’s a breadth and depth to animal rights that is still mysterious to many people,” Newkirk says. “From the clothes we wear to the cosmetics we buy, there is so much that kind people can do in every facet of their lives to spare animals immense suffering.”

A landmark bill is pending in the Rhode Island General Assembly that would ban the use of bullhooks—clubs with a sharp metal hook on one end—on elephants as well as prolonged chaining of the animals, both focuses of PETA campaigns. Los Angeles passed a ban on bullhooks last year, but Rhode Island would be the first state to do so. Among PETA’s earlier nods to Providence are naming it one of the top 10 vegan-friendly smaller cities, honoring the nearby Cranston Fire Department for rescuing a dog who had fallen through the ice into a freezing pond, and awarding Brown University an A on its vegan report card.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.