0:00:00.299,0:00:04.479 My name is Anita Krajnc, it’s A-N-I-T-A[br]Krajnc K-R-A-J-N-C, 0:00:04.479,0:00:08.399 and I co-founded Toronto Pig Save. 0:00:11.980,0:00:14.900 Can one person make a difference? 0:00:14.900,0:00:18.929 With everything wrong in this world,[br]what hope does one person have for creating 0:00:18.929,0:00:27.929 change? Well do you see all those people down[br]there? They’re there because of one person. 0:00:27.929,0:00:31.510 Anita. This is her story. 0:00:34.920,0:00:40.739 Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome[br]to another vegan nugget. There’s a lot in 0:00:40.739,0:00:46.129 our world that needs changing. As individuals[br]our tendency is to think we alone can’t 0:00:46.129,0:00:50.879 make an impact. When faced with injustice,[br]there are those of us who exclaim, “someone 0:00:50.879,0:00:56.620 should do something about this!” in exasperated[br]disbelief and indignation. We don’t consider 0:00:56.620,0:01:03.010 that we could be that someone. Maybe we feel[br]too intimidated, uneducated, uncertain of 0:01:03.010,0:01:07.890 what action to take. Or we think that since[br]we can’t fix it all immediately on our own 0:01:07.890,0:01:10.660 then we might as well not try. 0:01:10.660,0:01:16.160 Then there are those who see injustice and[br]exclaim, “I should do something about this.” 0:01:16.160,0:01:21.660 And despite their own misgivings and uncertainties,[br]despite their seeming powerlessness against 0:01:21.660,0:01:28.930 the astronomical odds, they do something incredible.[br]They try. 0:01:28.930,0:01:33.570 Last week I had the honor of meeting such[br]an individual: Anita Krajnc, the co-founder 0:01:33.570,0:01:39.180 of Toronto Pig Save. I was attending a 24[br]hour vigil for pigs, cows, and chickens at 0:01:39.180,0:01:46.200 Toronto area slaughterhouses organized by[br]Toronto Pig Save, now running five years strong. 0:01:46.200,0:01:51.810 To see my experience and the incredible power[br]of what Anita has created firsthand, please 0:01:51.810,0:01:55.010 see this video, which is also linked below. 0:01:55.010,0:02:00.170 I want to share with you the genesis of this[br]Toronto Pig Save in Anita’s own words. Captions 0:02:00.170,0:02:04.040 are available if the background noise makes[br]it difficult to hear. 0:02:04.040,0:02:09.320 I live near a slaughterhouse since 2006 and[br]I knew somebody should do a protest or something 0:02:09.320,0:02:14.520 but when I adopted a dog, Mr. Bean, who’s[br]here at the vigil today, I walked with him 0:02:14.520,0:02:18.850 everyday on Lake Shore. And during rush hour[br]traffic we would see 7 or 8 trucks in the 0:02:18.850,0:02:26.060 morning. And at the time I was reading Leo[br]Tolstoy and Gandhi and Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, 0:02:26.060,0:02:33.170 and they all took action when there was injustice[br]in their communities. So when I saw all these 0:02:33.170,0:02:39.350 trucks, it was like “I have to take action.”[br]It was almost five years ago—it was December 2010. 0:02:39.350,0:02:43.760 And then in July, 2011, we made a commitment[br]to do three vigils a week every single week 0:02:43.760,0:02:47.660 of the year, and we’ve kept that promise.[br]I made that promise to the pigs when I first 0:02:47.660,0:02:51.720 bore witness and I saw them in the truck looking[br]at me, pleading for their lives and I said 0:02:51.720,0:02:55.160 “we will do a minimum of three vigils a[br]week.” 0:02:55.160,0:02:59.910 In the days after the vigil, Anita sent me[br]some writings from Leo Tolstoy which she says 0:02:59.910,0:03:04.830 encompass the approach of the Save Movement,[br]with one quote in particular encapsulating 0:03:04.830,0:03:07.460 the gravity of their work: 0:03:08.430,0:03:12.930 “When the suffering of another creature[br]causes you to feel pain, do not submit to 0:03:12.930,0:03:18.790 the initial desire to flee from the suffering[br]one, but on the contrary, come closer, as 0:03:18.790,0:03:24.650 close as you can to him [/her] who suffers,[br]and try to help him[/her].” 0:03:24.650,0:03:30.200 And this this what Anita has done. She’s[br]come closer time and time again. And others 0:03:30.200,0:03:31.060 have followed. 0:03:31.060,0:03:36.370 From my perspective, everyone has a duty to[br]bear witness. I actually think it's a duty 0:03:36.370,0:03:41.380 that all of us have, and in life there's a[br]choice when you see someone suffering you 0:03:41.380,0:03:45.890 either look the other way or you come closer,[br]as close as you can to try to help. And if 0:03:45.890,0:03:50.599 we all did that we wouldn’t have genocide.[br]We wouldn’t have animal abuse. We wouldn’t 0:03:50.599,0:03:56.150 have suffering, because we would build a community[br]where if there is suffering we all come together, 0:03:56.150,0:04:00.569 we come close to help those who are suffering.[br]So, that’s what we’re about. 0:04:00.569,0:04:05.209 Starting on those morning walks with her companion[br]Mr. Bean, Anita’s decision to take action 0:04:05.209,0:04:10.880 has blossomed into the greater Save Movement,[br]a now international movement of activists 0:04:10.880,0:04:16.539 coming together to bear witness to the massacre[br]of animals all over the world and bring attention 0:04:16.539,0:04:23.199 and validation to their experience. Still,[br]Anita pushes forward for greater change. 0:04:23.199,0:04:29.319 And, we recognize that we're doing a very[br]partial form of bearing witness, because we’re 0:04:29.319,0:04:31.809 helping a little bit, but we’re not fully[br]bearing witness. We’re not actually actually 0:04:31.809,0:04:35.699 saving the pigs before us, and that creates[br]a lot of pain. 0:04:35.699,0:04:39.409 In China they actually stopped trucks and[br]rescue all the animals and liberate them. 0:04:39.409,0:04:43.099 And that’s the right thing to do and we[br]recognize that. And so it’s very painful 0:04:43.099,0:04:46.090 because it’s partial, but it’s better[br]to be here than not to be here. And eventually 0:04:46.090,0:04:50.740 our goal is to just liberate all animals,[br]because if it was you in the truck you know, 0:04:50.740,0:04:54.569 as has happened in the past in genocides,[br]you wouldn’t just want people to say “I'm 0:04:54.569,0:04:58.699 sorry” and to give you a little bit of water,[br]although that's good and that’s compassionate, 0:04:58.699,0:04:59.939 it's not enough. 0:04:59.939,0:05:05.409 Anita and the now hundreds standing with her,[br]watch the trucks pass into the slaughterhouses 0:05:05.409,0:05:10.999 time and time again. The site of them exiting,[br]empty of the life that was there just moments 0:05:10.999,0:05:17.539 ago, is just as, if not more heartbreaking.[br]But Anita resolutely looks towards the future. 0:05:17.539,0:05:21.909 And we’re moving that way—we’re always[br]upping the ante. Now we’re stopping trucks. 0:05:21.909,0:05:25.469 We didn’t do that for, like, the first four[br]years of our group. Now we’re stopping the 0:05:25.469,0:05:32.389 trucks. So every time, we’re just exerting[br]our power. People have more power than they 0:05:32.389,0:05:38.089 think. If we exert our power, especially as[br]a community, in terms of community organizing, 0:05:38.089,0:05:40.120 we can actually change a lot. 0:05:40.120,0:05:45.719 Anita’s passion and belief in the power[br]grassroots activism is inspiring and the worldwide 0:05:45.719,0:05:51.129 growth of the Save Movement is a concrete[br]testament to the power one person can have 0:05:51.129,0:05:53.150 when they choose to come closer. 0:05:53.150,0:05:58.339 At the last 24 hour chicken vigil, Toronto[br]Pig Save activists were able to liberate a 0:05:58.339,0:06:04.279 chicken names Mercy from Maple Leaf Poultry[br]and earlier, a lamb named Meadow from Newmarket 0:06:04.279,0:06:10.009 Meat Packers. Both now live free at local[br]farm animal sanctuaries. 0:06:10.009,0:06:14.449 If you think you can’t make a difference,[br]if you think holding vigil isn’t effective 0:06:14.449,0:06:19.479 activism, if you think giving water to pigs[br]on their way to slaughter, running alongside 0:06:19.479,0:06:24.050 trucks full of cows in an effort to document[br]their experience, and standing in the way 0:06:24.050,0:06:30.689 of semis carrying 5-10,000 chickens to their[br]deaths isn’t going to change anything, I’d 0:06:30.689,0:06:37.159 ask you to visit Mercy and Meadow and ask[br]them if it's made a difference. 0:06:37.159,0:06:44.360 It’s very easy for people on the outside[br]to criticize what activists do, or what we’re 0:06:44.360,0:06:52.069 attempting to achieve, because it can seem[br]so insurmountable for us to overcome all the 0:06:52.069,0:06:58.699 evil in this world and make an impact as individuals.[br]It’s very easy to be disheartened. But if 0:06:58.699,0:07:05.369 we all just say “I’m one person. I can’t[br]do anything,” nothing is going to be accomplished. 0:07:05.369,0:07:09.469 Just because we can’t fix everything right[br]now and just because we can’t do everything 0:07:09.469,0:07:14.930 perfectly and we can’t make a vegan world[br]tomorrow doesn’t diminish the value of doing 0:07:14.930,0:07:17.189 everything we can in this momemt. 0:07:17.189,0:07:22.219 And that is what Anita has done. She has looked[br]into the faces of our food industry, made 0:07:22.219,0:07:28.520 them a promise on that morning walk, and now[br]thousands stand beside her. Each and every 0:07:28.520,0:07:35.050 one of us has the ability to affect change.[br]You have the power to affect change. It just 0:07:35.050,0:07:42.539 takes a decision to act. A decision to not[br]look away. A decision to come closer. 0:07:42.539,0:07:46.979 Never doubt the power you have, and the even[br]greater power we have when we come together 0:07:46.979,0:07:54.529 at a grassroots level. Stop waiting for someone[br]to do something and be that someone. 0:07:54.529,0:08:00.089 I hope that hearing Anita’s story has shown[br]you the impact one person, and one dog, can 0:08:00.089,0:08:05.449 have. You don’t have to be perfect. You[br]don’t have to be certain. You just have 0:08:05.449,0:08:12.059 try. The animals don’t need us to be strong,[br]they need us to be there. 0:08:12.059,0:08:16.629 On a personal note, though I work virtually[br]every hour of every day on Bite Size Vegan 0:08:16.629,0:08:21.550 and am consistently immersed in the realities[br]of what we put animals through, I was deeply 0:08:21.550,0:08:26.770 and profoundly moved by my experience with[br]Toronto Pig Save. Those of us who are already 0:08:26.770,0:08:32.169 vegan need to remember that we are not beyond[br]needing to reaffirm our own connection, and 0:08:32.169,0:08:35.568 that we too must bear witness. 0:08:35.568,0:08:40.019 For more information about Toronto Pig Save[br]and the greater Save Movement, please see 0:08:40.019,0:08:44.680 the blog post for this video and the links[br]below in the video description. 0:08:44.680,0:08:49.540 All my thanks to Anita, Toronto Pig Save,[br]and all of the activists who are out there 0:08:49.540,0:08:50.860 fighting to make a difference. 0:08:50.860,0:08:55.139 If you’d like to see more videos like this[br]highlighting activists out there creating 0:08:55.139,0:08:59.720 change, give this video a thumbs up and please[br]share it around to inspire others to take 0:08:59.720,0:09:04.089 action. If you want to help support Bite Size[br]Vegan, check out either of the support links 0:09:04.089,0:09:08.560 in the video description below or click on[br]the Nugget Army icon or the link in the sidebar. 0:09:08.560,0:09:15.160 There’s also a support link below for Toronto[br]Pig Save. Now go live vegan, make a difference, 0:09:15.160,0:09:16.660 and I’ll see you soon.