VEGETARIAN ACTION
Animal Activist and Entrepreneur Cam MacQueen
By Casey Brown
After learning about all of the things that Cam MacQueen has accomplished, you would assume that she has been vegan her whole life. However, growing up in the South made it difficult for her to establish the connection between food and animals. It wasn't until college when she discovered Peter Singer's book Animal Liberation that everything changed for her. She says this was "one of the single most defining moments of my life."
Her activism truly began during a meeting with three other vegans. Together, they decided to form a Fund for Animals chapter in Atlanta that later became a FoA chapter what is currently known as Friends of Animals (FoA), and MacQueen has continued advocating on behalf of animals ever since. Her activism includes testifying against pound seizure (the practice of using animals from shelters in experimental studies); working as the volunteer and campaign coordinator for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA); co-producing two vegan festivals in Greenbelt, MD; creating a column for Pathways Magazine, and so much more!
After working for Pathways Magazine, MacQueen decided she wanted to produce a new column; this column known as "Cultivating Compassion" would focus on individuals doing work in the community to benefit animals, the environment, social justice, and peace. It would "provide a platform for raising awareness about issues facing all of us and what each of us could do to make a difference." Many well-known individuals, including Farm Sanctuary cofounder Gene Baur, have been featured.
While working with PETA, MacQueen and her coworkers frequented a Chinese restaurant that had a plethora of vegan options. When this restaurant added a lobster tank to their lobby, she and her coworkers began boycotting the restaurant and calling them to express their concerns. Within two weeks, they were told the lobster tank would be removed, and MacQueen was able to take the lobsters from Maryland up to Maine to be freed. Years later, the owners of the restaurant informed her that the lobsters' liberation inspired them to close the Chinese restaurant and open up a well-known vegan Asian restaurant: The Vegetable Garden (Rockville, MD). MacQueen says that "this story brought tears to my eyes and is definitely one of the most inspiring moments of my career."
Later, MacQueen spent time in Ferguson, MO, protesting after the shooting of Michael Brown. After this event, while driving home to Asheville, NC, she knew she had to do something to inspire change. Thus, an eco-vegan, social justice, solidarity bar called The Block off Biltmore (TBOB) was born. Her dream was "for it to be a place where change agents come together to discuss, mobilize, strategize, and actualize positive results for the community and beyond — while having fun and building friendships." When starting TBOB, she made sure all of the alcohol served was vegan. Since opening, TBOB has evolved into her dream; it has become a space where like-minded individuals can come together for events such as vegan meet-ups, vegan potlucks, and documentary screenings. See http://theblockoffbiltmore.com/.
MacQueen is an inspiration to animal activists for her continuous passion and dedication to the cause. She encourages aspiring activists to join in on the resistance and to always remember that "animal rights is human rights and human rights is animal rights." Learning, staying involved, having an open dialogue with others, and having fun are some of her keys to success. "The animals, the Earth, and your body will thank you!"
Casey Brown has interned with The Vegetarian Resource Group and is presently a volunteer.
