0:00:10.226,0:00:15.847
Lily Tomlin once said, "Somebody[br]should do something about that."

0:00:20.160,0:00:24.921
But then I realized, "I am somebody."

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I had my first "aha, I am somebody" moment[br]when I was walking down the street,

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in my native New York city,

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and happened upon[br]what I can only describe

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as a pulsating, brown, furry,

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and yet kind of slimy[br]little ball at my feet,

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that was in grave danger[br]of being smashed to bits

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by a very angry sanitation worker,[br]with a very large shovel.

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I had no idea what this little[br]alien thing was, but instinctively,

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I threw myself on top of it,[br]screaming, "No, no, no, no, no!

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I'll take it."

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Of course the guy thought[br]I was totally nuts, but I did,

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and took this little ball, and I put it[br]in a box, and I took it to Central Park,

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and I sat there staring at it for a couple[br]of hours, not knowing what to do.

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And all of a sudden,[br]the box started to move,

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and the flaps on the top[br]of the box opened,

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and not one, but two beautiful bats[br]flew out over my head

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and into the night sky.

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Apparently, what had happened,[br]or it's the best guess of the experts,

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is that two bats had become[br]stuck together in the throws of passion -

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(Laughter)

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- and fallen from a rooftop somewhere,[br]and landed at my feet.

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So, for me, I didn't know[br]what this little thing was,

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but it was pulsating, right?

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So that meant it must have had a pulse,[br]which would mean probably a heartbeat,

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which would mean it could suffer.

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And that just wasn't going to happen[br]on my watch.

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So, I don't know what makes some people[br]watchers and other people doers.

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I don't know what plants a seed[br]that blossoms into a calling.

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I do know that, for me, it's a compulsion,

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to speak for those[br]that cannot speak for themselves.

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Uncomfortable, though, it may be

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for somebody who never[br]raised her hand in class,

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hated to be called on to read aloud,

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and was described by every teacher[br]as "painfully shy."

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I guess something in me[br]must have connected to those

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that seemed invisible and voiceless.

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Perhaps, something in me[br]saw myself as one of them,

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needing rescue and a voice.

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All I know is I have no choice[br]in the matter anymore.

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I was born for this, and I raise my hand[br]for animals every chance I get.

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I remember the first time[br]that I was shown footage

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obtained by undercover investigators,

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of how animals had suffered and died[br]for my dinner, my clothing,

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my entertainment, and my[br]well-intentioned charitable contributions.

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I stood in stunned silence,[br]tears were racing down my face,

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and my hands were covering my eyes

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and I was hit with such rage [br]and such pain,

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that I could barely speak.

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Unlike these cows that you might[br]recognize from YouTube,

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this footage that I saw[br]was dark and grainy,

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but images of eyes wide with terror[br]will haunt me forever.

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Animals on factory farms,[br]and laboratories, zoos, circuses,

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aquariums, amusement parks, rodeos,[br]all of it, they are all routinely beaten.

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They are denied everything [br]natural to them.

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They are isolated, burned, electrocuted,

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brain-damaged, blinded.

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They are beaten, as I said before,[br]and they are whipped into submission.

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They are left to linger in cold cages,[br]alone, without any painkillers,

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until they are killed.

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My brain had to process[br]that this is legal.

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This is the way that billions[br]upon billions of animals live.

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This is the way that they die.

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This is what lurks behind closed doors

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that only ardent animal advocates[br]dare to open.

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I was hit with such a wave of guilt,[br]that I barely recognized myself.

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These images changed me.

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They gutted me.

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They made me realize that all[br]of these labels that I so detested,

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like "oppressor," and "bully,"

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could just as easily be applied to me,[br]regardless of intent,

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because I was a contributor[br]to industries that view animals

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as nothing more[br]than property and machines.

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So, the little girl that wouldn't dare[br]raise her hand in class

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grew up to be somebody that wants[br]to raise the roof for animals,

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because I found that I could[br]no longer live in peace

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while there's a war[br]being waged against animals.

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I could no longer feel full[br]while they're being starved,

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or feel warm knowing that they're being[br]enslaved in cold cages.

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I couldn't feel safe[br]while they're being brutalized,

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and I certainly couldn't feel free[br]while they are still oppressed.

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Activism destroys me,

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but it also heals me, every day.

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And every day we're faced[br]with new challenges.

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How to educate the public[br]within a digestible way?

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Because let's face it:[br]if we're too graphic,

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people turn away; they don't want to know.

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If we're too gentle,[br]then we don't make any impact.

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So, for me, sometimes my activism[br]is loud, and it's aggressive,

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and it's blaring through megaphones[br]outside of slaughterhouses.

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But at other times,[br]it's in soft, measured tones,

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speaking about orcas[br]and dolphins in captivity

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to little children entering Sea World.

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And sometimes, [br]yeah, my message goes viral,

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with me being let away[br]from this scene in handcuffs.

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I believe that activism starts[br]as a whisper in our soul,

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a voice, way down deep inside,[br]almost like intuition,

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that presents itself[br]as an unmistakeable knowing

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that nudges us to look[br]our conscience dead in the eye,

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and ask ourselves[br]the tough questions, such as,

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"Is this moral?"

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"Is this the right choice for me?"

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"Can I sleep at night[br]knowing what I know now?"

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"Am I living my truth?"

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And often times,[br]the answers will surprise us.

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A revolution begins with an idea,[br]a truth in ourselves that we cannot deny,

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and feel compelled to spread,[br]regardless of the facts

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that, yeah, it might isolate us [br]from those close to us,

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it might take our safety, our freedom,[br]and put them at risk,

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it can drive us[br]to our darkest depths of despair,

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and break our hearts.

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But it's worth it. Oh man, it is worth it!

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Because a revolution brings about change[br]whose time has come,

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and we are at a tipping point[br]of this revolution,

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that begins and builds with each of us

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recognizing what we know is true

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in the most sacred places of our hearts,[br]and acting on it.

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For me, giving these animals a voice,

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these choiceless animals,

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helps illuminate these dark,[br]cold, bearing enclosures

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that bring out, with cries of pain,[br]loneliness and torture,

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voices begging to be seen,[br]to be recognized,

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to know that they are not alone,[br]and that yes, they are heard.

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And maybe, somehow,[br]this makes me feel less alone.

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Acting on behalf of these animals[br]that I will never meet,

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but fight for every day,

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has connected me[br]to a global cry for justice

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that has moved mountains[br]for other social justice movements.

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It has taken me from feeling[br]like a powerless individual

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to an important,[br]proactive part of the wheel

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that is a driving force[br]toward making this world

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a kinder, and gentler,[br]and more sustainable place to live,

0:10:01.315,0:10:07.930
connecting me to my highest self[br]as a citizen of the world that I live in.

0:10:07.930,0:10:12.102
I have planted a seed of change,

0:10:12.102,0:10:14.936
and I delight in seeing it grow,

0:10:14.936,0:10:18.413
as more and more animals[br]are awarded rights,

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and veganism takes its place[br]in the mainstream.

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We all have this in us,[br]no matter what our calling.

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We can all change the world.

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We can all raise our hands.

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For me, I promise you, I will not rest

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until every cage is empty,

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and every tank is drained.

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What might it be for you?

0:10:52.429,0:10:54.016
Thank you.

0:10:54.016,0:10:56.048
(Cheers) (Applause)