Russell Simmons Awarded

Animal-rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has just named Russell Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Records, Person of the Year. Simmons adopted veganism more than a decade ago and has since worked to better the lives of animals by discussing his cruelty-free lifestyle in the mainstream media and developing a vegan-friendly clothing line. PETA honored Simmons earlier this month by printing his portrait on its limited-edition postage stamps. Simmons tells PETA, “I’m truly humbled to be chosen as this year’s Person of the Year, but the praise should go to the hundreds of thousands of volunteers that are on the ground doing the work.”