WEBVTT

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Lily Tomlin once said, "Somebody
should do something about that."

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But then I realized, "I am somebody."

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

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in my native New York city,

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and happened upon
what I can only describe

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as a pulsating, brown, furry,

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and yet kind of slimy
little ball at my feet,

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that was in grave danger
of being smashed to bits

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by a very angry sanitation worker,
with a very large shovel.

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

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

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I'll take it."

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

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

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

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And all of a sudden,
the box started to move,

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and the flaps on the top
of the box opened,

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

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and into the night sky.

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

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

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(Laughter)

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

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So, for me, I didn't know
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,
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
on my watch.

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

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I don't know what plants a seed
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
that cannot speak for themselves.

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Uncomfortable, though, it may be

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for somebody who never
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
as "painfully shy."

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I guess something in me
must have connected to those

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that seemed invisible and voiceless.

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Perhaps, something in me
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
in the matter anymore.

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

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I remember the first time
that I was shown footage

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obtained by undercover investigators,

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

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my entertainment, and my
well-intentioned charitable contributions.

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I stood in stunned silence,
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 
and such pain,

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that I could barely speak.

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Unlike these cows that you might
recognize from YouTube,

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this footage that I saw
was dark and grainy,

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

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Animals on factory farms,
and laboratories, zoos, circuses,

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

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They are denied everything 
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,
and they are whipped into submission.

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

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until they are killed.

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My brain had to process
that this is legal.

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This is the way that billions
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
dare to open.

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I was hit with such a wave of guilt,
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
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,
regardless of intent,

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because I was a contributor
to industries that view animals

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as nothing more
than property and machines.

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

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

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because I found that I could
no longer live in peace

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while there's a war
being waged against animals.

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

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

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

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and I certainly couldn't feel free
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
with new challenges.

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How to educate the public
within a digestible way?

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Because let's face it:
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,
then we don't make any impact.

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

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and it's blaring through megaphones
outside of slaughterhouses.

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

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speaking about orcas
and dolphins in captivity

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to little children entering Sea World.

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And sometimes, 
yeah, my message goes viral,

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with me being let away
from this scene in handcuffs.

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

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a voice, way down deep inside,
almost like intuition,

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that presents itself
as an unmistakeable knowing

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

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and ask ourselves
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
knowing what I know now?"

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"Am I living my truth?"

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And often times,
the answers will surprise us.

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

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and feel compelled to spread,
regardless of the facts

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that, yeah, it might isolate us 
from those close to us,

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

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it can drive us
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
whose time has come,

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and we are at a tipping point
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,
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,
cold, bearing enclosures

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that bring out, with cries of pain,
loneliness and torture,

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voices begging to be seen,
to be recognized,

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

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And maybe, somehow,
this makes me feel less alone.

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

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but fight for every day,

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has connected me
to a global cry for justice

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that has moved mountains
for other social justice movements.

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It has taken me from feeling
like a powerless individual

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to an important,
proactive part of the wheel

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that is a driving force
toward making this world

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a kinder, and gentler,
and more sustainable place to live,

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connecting me to my highest self
as a citizen of the world that I live in.

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I have planted a seed of change,

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and I delight in seeing it grow,

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as more and more animals
are awarded rights,

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and veganism takes its place
in the mainstream.

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We all have this in us,
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?

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Thank you.

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(Cheers) (Applause)