Story Time: My First Animal Protest

This past Sunday, I was lucky enough to attend the Smithfield Pig Save in Smithfield, Virginia. I, along with my mom and three dozen other people, gathered on the corner of a very busy intersection to politely protest against Smithfield pork production and the consumption of animals. The event was scheduled for three hours and my mom and I stayed a little over two and a half. And in those two and a half hours I witnessed four trucks loaded with pigs go by. My heart just sank when they went by, and even more when the returned empty.

I felt so accomplished being out there putting my core beliefs into action. I was protesting for something that I believe in. Something that's important. According to Peta, almost thirty million pigs are slaughtered every year in Smithfield, Virginia. Now, I haven't always had an "A" in math, but I know that that's a lot of pigs being slaughtered every day.

Something that I admired about the people Sunday night, was that some of them ran up to the trucks when they were stopped to comfort and talk to the pigs. The pigs never knew love, but for a few seconds they were told that they were loved and cared for. Some people also took photos to document the pigs inside the trucks. I hope someday soon I'll have the courage to run to the trucks and see the pigs like many other people did.

These pigs, as well as other factory farmed animals, are intelligent beings who can and DO feel pain. Like humans they have different personalities and emotions, and they once had families. Just because they aren't able to talk, doesn't mean they don't try to communicate. They cry and moan... shriek and scream...

I started this blog on Monday, and on Wednesday I watched Farm to Fridge on YouTube. After watching this short, 12-minute documentary, I was even more happy that I went to the Smithfield Pig Save on Sunday. I'll go to every protest I can to fight for these animals.

Sunday's protest was a great first experience for me. It was so nice to be surrounded by like-minded people and when I left, my heart just felt so happy. These people were kind and generous enough to bring awesome vegan food and really nice, well-made signs. Everyone was welcoming and nice and it's so amazing to think that there are people out there who care enough to organize these kinds of events! They may be small, but they can be very effective. I'm looking forward to doing this again soon.


Thank you so much for reading,
                                                     Joy


Copyright 2016 by Dee Dee Wike and Joy Wike. All rights reserved. www.feelingveggiegood.com

Why I Became a Vegetarian

Like many people I grew up eating meat. Chicken, catfish, barbecue, hotdogs, and the occasional burger. Being from Memphis, I especially loved catfish and barbecue, but I never gave a second thought about what I was truly eating. A couple of months ago I began watching "what I eat in a day" videos on YouTube. I stumbled across some vegan ones and became interested. All the food was obviously healthy and looked really good. I figured I could lose some weight and get healthier, but I didn't know the environmental and animal benefits that would come from this diet/lifestyle change. Before leaving for a spring-break trip, my mom and I watched Food Inc., which was good but didn't show a whole lot about the meat and dairy industry and its impact on the environment and animals. I ate my fair share of meat and dairy while on this trip, but I planned to go vegan when I got back.

Upon returning from my trip, my mom and I sat down to watch Vegucated which was definitely an eye-opening film for me and my mom. Before having watched this particular documentary I was mostly looking at going vegan because I figured I could lose a lot of weight, and get healthier. However, after watching this film my mindset began to change. I started to feel compassion, sadness, and anger. After watching only that one vegan centered film I felt so much more knowledgeable, and I wanted to watch more films like it! My mindset changed from being focused on just losing weight to wanting to help these animals, and the earth.

Since then I have watched Cowspiracy and Forks Over Knives  , both extremely good documentaries showing the health benefits of a plant-based diet and the environmental impacts the meat and dairy industries have on the world. I have been meat-free and vegetarian since April 4th and I have no desire or intentions on going back to being a meat eater. I have been consuming some dairy and egg products, but after watching Cowspiracy I would really like to try to eliminate those from my diet. One thing that I have experienced since going vegetarian is happiness. That's really the best way to describe it. I feel so happy knowing that I'm doing better for the earth and especially the animals. I have also become more aware of animal testing and I plan from now on to only buy cruelty-free and "no animal testing" products.

I hope that people see this blog and watch some of these documentaries in an effort to become healthier, happier, and live a better life. So many people are vegetarians and vegans now and there are so many different resources out there. Today, in fact, I purchased my first plant-based book! I would also like to add I am no expert in nutrition or really anything else. I'm learning just like everyone else reading this! But now that I know some things I intend to change my actions and put in effort to learn more and help spread the word about a more plant-based diet and its impact on animals and the world. Hope y'all enjoy!