As you may have heard, Cirque du Soleil's Alegria show is coming to the Peterson Events Center in Oakland from Oct. 7 - 11. We'll be handing out thank you notes again – the notes thank people for attending an animal-free circus and let people know what's wrong with using animals in circuses.

We can hand out a LOT of notes, and the cost of photocopies really adds up! So we're having a Brunch & Circuses fundraiser!

On Sunday Oct. 4 from 12 to 2 p.m. in the neighborhood of Highland Park, we'll provide a full brunch buffet including homemade sausages, smoothies, waffles, plenty of potatoes, and more (think: the Vegan Brunch cookbook). If you wish to bring a vegan dish, that is great, but
optional.

Cost is $10-15 (sliding scale). To RSVP, reply via email noah at animalfreedom dot info or sign up here.

Hope to see you next Sunday!

If you value the "Why Honey is Not Vegan" page as a resource, please check out the link above to see how you can support the effort to completely revise and update the site. Also, efforts to help spread the word about this important project are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

What can white people do about racism?

One way to start is by examining our own lives. Rather than viewing racism as something that's "out there" or as a problem facing only people of color, we can start by becoming aware that racism is all around us--in the media we consume, in our majority white groups, in our own heads, even in our own bank accounts. Learning that racism is our problem makes working to end it easier: we don't have to ask anyone else to change. We can start with ourselves.

Want to get started or continue on your journey? Join the Whites Challenging Racism Study Group.

Starting Thursday, February 21
Meets from 6:30-9 PM in Squirrel Hill
We read 2-3 articles per week and discuss them.
We meet weekly from Feb 21-April 24.

Space is limited.
Contact Noah to sign up:
www.animalfreedom.info 412-421-4586

Everyone uses the bathroom, but what happens when transgender and gender transgressive people try to take care of this basic need? All too often, discrimination and harassment that can result in far-reaching problems. Come watch the film Toilet Training to learn more about this issue and what you can do about it.

30 min documentary followed by a discussion
Wednesday, Feb. 27
7:00 PM

Graduate School of Public Health (Parran Hall)
G-23 Auditorium
University of Pittsburgh
Fifth Ave. between N. Bouquet St. & DeSoto St.

Sponsored by the Transgender Study Group and Rainbow Alliance
more info: 412-421-4586 www.animalfreedom.info

Transgender Study Group -- you're invited!

Transgender people & allies will begin gathering weekly to discuss articles, watch short documentaries, and share spoken word.

We hope to empower and educate ourselves, unlearn transphobia, and explore trans activism in the context of building broad movements for social justice. Please note: this is a trans-positive space, not a place to satisfy curiosity about transgender people.

Meetings are in Oakland at Pitt, Wednesdays 7-9 PM, for 8-10 weeks starting January 30 (attend as many or as few meetings as you like)

More info: http://www.animalfreedom.info/study/trans/trans.html

Compete or just eat!

Like dessert? Join us for a sweet celebration of World Vegan Day!

• Sample treats from local vegan bakeries.
  
• Enter the vegan dessert contest -- everyone's a winner!
  
• Decorating activities for kids
  
• Raffle
  
• Vegan book sale

Sunday, November 4, 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Amani International Coffeehouse & Cafe
507 Foreland St. (North Side)

This is a fundraiser for Pittsburgh's vegetarian festival.
$5 adults, $1 kids, Free for contestants!

Details & entry form here: www.animalfreedom.info

See you there!

AnimalFreedom wants to bring a vegetarian festival back to Pittsburgh and we need your help! We want to make sure that this event reflects the wide range of people practicing and promoting vegetarianism and veganism throughout the city. Everything is up for grabs except for the common denominator that no animal products or products tested on animals will be sold or promoted at the event.

If you think you or an organization you belong to might be interested in planning, organizing, exhibiting, or speaking at such an event, please contact us at your earliest convenience!

We are having our first brainstorming meeting this Saturday, September 29 at 2PM, and all are welcome! Contact us for details. If you are unable to attend, but would like to be contacted about future meetings, just let us know.

Race, Class, Food & You!

Everybody eats! Please join us for a talk by Breeze Harper making the connections between our diets and social justice. Learn about the often overlooked role food plays in shaping our societies and how food can be a tool to resist oppression.

Harper is the creator of the Sistah Vegan Project and the forthcoming anthology, Sistah Vegan! Food, Health, Identity, and Society: Female Vegans of the African Diaspora. Harper joins us from Boston, where she recently completed her Master's at Harvard. She is going on to get her Ph.D. at the University of California at Davis.

Sponsored by AnimalFreedom and Voices for Animals of Western PA.

Thursday, July 19
7:00 PM
David Lawrence Hall, Room 121, 3942 Forbes Ave. (between Bouquet & Bigelow), University of Pittsburgh, Oakland

More info: AnimalFreedom, 412-421-4586

Rustbelt Radio interviewed us about the anti-racism discussion group. You can listen live at various times, or wait for the archived show to be posted.

Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible

Wednesday, June 20
6:30 pm
UCP building (Centre Ave. & N. Neville St. in Oakland)
Pittsburgh, PA

"Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible is a brilliant documentary and a must-see for all people who are interested in justice, spiritual growth and community making. It features the experiences of white women and men who have worked to gain insight into what it means to challenge notions of racism and white supremacy in the United States."

Following the film, you'll be invited to take part in a discussion facilitated by the organizers of the White Privilege & Anti-Racist Organizing discussion group, which will start meeting for 10 weeks the week of July 8. Come find out how you can get involved!

The New Pittsburgh Courier ran a story on the anti-racism discussion group: Whites examine white privilege.

For more information: www.animalfreedom.info

Deborah Todd of the New Pittsburgh Courier covered the story of the anti-racism discussion group in the June 14 issue!

Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible

Tuesday, May 29
6:30 pm
UCP building (Centre Ave. & N. Neville St. in Oakland)
Pittsburgh, PA

"Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible is a brilliant documentary and a must-see for all people who are interested in justice, spiritual growth and community making. It features the experiences of white women and men who have worked to gain insight into what it means to challenge notions of racism and white supremacy in the United States."

Following the film, you'll be invited to take part in a discussion facilitated by the organizers of the White Privilege & Anti-Racist Organizing discussion group, which will start meeting in June. Come find out how you can get involved!

For more information: www.animalfreedom.info

Join AnimalFreedom and Voices for Animals of Western PA for a screening of the documentary film

Animals: Friend or Food?

Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, Animals: Friend or Food? follows Jason Young (writer and director) after he decides that if he is going to continue eating meat, he will raise and kill the animals himself. (Running time: 72 min.)

Following the film, you'll be invited to take part in a lively discussion facilitated by the organizers of the Animal Rights Summer School, a 12-week course starting in June. Come find out how you can get involved!

Thursday, May 24
6:30 pm
University of Pittsburgh
William Pitt Union (5th Ave. & Bigelow Blvd.)
Dining Room A

For more information (including a trailer): www.animalfreedom.info