Animal Rights Activist Receives Non-Violence Award

Melanie Joy, president and founder of the Carnism Awareness and Action Network, recently received the Ahimsa Award from the Institute of Jainology, the international organization representing the expressively non-violent Jain faith. CAAN strives to raise awareness about the inherent cruelty of the farming system and teach people that eating meat is not a necessity, but a choice that is reinforced by culture and commercial industries. Joy, who is also the author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows, is the eighth person to receive the Ahimsa Award—other recipients include the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. “Transforming carnism is not simply about changing behavior, but about shifting consciousness,” said Joy in her acceptance speech. “It is about shifting from ignorance to awareness, from apathy to empathy, from callousness to compassion, from denial to truth.”