A spark of inspiration and the willpower to get something done are all any student needs to start a new organization on campus. Capital for Animal Liberation (CAL) is one such organization, founded 3 years ago by Sirrus Lawson and Suzeii Sierra. Hoping to inform others about his and Sierra’s organization, Sirrus Lawson answered questions about Capital for Animal Liberation, animal rights and welfare, and the future of animal rights and CAL.
Question: What inspired you to found CAL?
Sirrus Lawson: My freshman year, Suzeii Sierra and I got together and founded CAL. Animals didn’t have a voice on Capital’s campus, and we wanted to give the voiceless a voice. Ohio is a large agricultural state, and it was weird that animals didn’t have any representation here.
Q: What are the group’s goals?
SL: Our general goal is to promote animal’s welfare and rights on campus, as well as at the state and local levels. The goal of this academic year is to start Vegan Mondays. We’re trying to get Parkhurst dining to serve only vegan food on Mondays. Right now, the goal is to get support from the students so that we can get Parkhurst on board with the idea.
Q: What are the largest problems animal rights advocates face today?
SL: In terms of the general population, we face the problem of people misinterpreting our message. People often think that animal rights advocates and vegans/vegetarians are focused on snobbery, and think that we’re trying to convey that we’re “better” because we’re vegan/vegetarian. We just want to promote a better life for animals. The biggest problem in terms of CAL? People see our group and think that you need to be vegan/vegetarian in order to join. That’s not true. We just want anyone who cares about the advancement of animal welfare.
Q: What kinds of activities do you have planned for the group?
SL: Coming up soon, in October, we’re going to do a pay-per-view. We’ll pay any student one dollar to watch a four minute video clip about factory farming. We’re also going to get a campaign letter started for our Vegan Mondays idea. The rest of the activities will be listed online on our Twitter page, @Cap_Animal_Liberation, or our Facebook page, which is Capital for Animal Liberation.
Q: How can someone who isn’t in CAL better the lives of animals?
SL: Support Vegan Mondays. It’s healthy, we’re reducing our use of factory farmed meat and dairy, and it’s beneficial for the environment.
CAL meets weekly at 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays in Huber-Spielman Room 120.
