To All The Women Who Are Revolution

My mother says that when I was 7 years old, a magazine caught my attention while we were walking together. It showed a woman with a chimpanzee. That woman was Jane Goodall, and in the magazine she talked about her work as a primatologist at Gombe.

Apparently I insisted my mother to buy it for me. From that day on, my passion for animals and their protection grew. I became a faithful viewer of the documentaries on La 2 and my room was filled with posters and magazines about animals.

Inspiring women fighting for animals

Dr. Goodall was the first woman to inspire me on my journey as an activist. She made the seed of love for animals bloom that has always lived in me, but it has not been the only one. Since I became vegan, 15 years after that first encounter with Goodall, many other women have encouraged me to make this world a better place for animals.

One of those women is Sharon Nuñez, co-founder of the Animal Equality Foundation. Sharon was one of my first references as an activist and her work pushed me to dedicate my life to defending animals.

His vision, passion, perseverance and dedication have been key to the success of Animal Equality, which has become one of the most successful organizations for the end of cruelty to farm animals in the world.

Another woman who has spent decades fighting for animal rights is Silvia Barquero. Silvia was president of PACMA for 6 years (from 2013 to 2019) and not even the threats from hunters and bullfighters managed to dampen her strength and dedication. Now, she is the executive director of Animal Equality in Spain and continues with her tireless work.

The women who are or have been part of Animal Equality are for me a great example to follow. This is the case of Amanda Romero, whom I met when she was the director of the organization in Spain. This activist with a big heart has not only been collaborating with different animal rights NGOs for more than 10 years, she is also a shelter for abandoned animals and one of the best communicators within the movement.

Dr. Melanie Joy, founder of Beyond Carnism and co-founder of ProVeg, is also an outstanding communicator and one of my top role models as an outreach. His book Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Dress With Cows changed my way of communicating and helped me better understand the carnista world we live in and our relationship with it.

In addition to Joy, I have other references of necessary mention. Women like Dobroslawa Gogloza, Leah Garces or Jo-Anne McArthur.

Dobroslawa co-founded the Polish organization Otwarte Klatki (Open Cages) and is now CEO of Anima International. His work is revolutionizing activism in Europe and his tenacity and courage inspiring hundreds of activists.

Leah, founder of Compassion in World Farming USA and current president of Mercy For Animals, is also the author of Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry, a book that recounts her work with chicken farmers and meat companies to set more standards. strict animal welfare standards.

Jo-Anne, founder of We Animals and Unbound Project, is one of the best photojournalists the movement has. His photographs, which show the reality in which animals live, have been awarded with important awards, such as the Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Beyond all these great leaders, many other women inspire me on a daily basis. Co-workers, activism or social networks, some of which I can already consider friends. Women like Marta Martínez, Aida Lídice Lueje, Verónica Larco, Gloria Carrión, Carlota Bruna, Jenny Rodríguez, Tami Guerrero, Victoria Lozada, Arantza Muñoz, Laura Gough, Weronika Pochylska, Sally Thompson, Ula Zarazosa, Verlee Vrindts, Verena Wiederkehr … And like so many anonymous or unknown heroines who dedicate their lives to spreading veganism.

Thank you for teaching me that despite how tough it can be at times, we are more than capable of continuing to defend animals. Thank you for being part of this fight. You are revolution.