Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
—Martin Luther King Jr.

Countless prominent African Americans throughout history have used their influence to stand up for animals, and this month we celebrate their inspiring efforts. Civil rights leader Coretta Scott King extended her kindness toward humans to animals by going vegan. The late comedian Richard Pryor, who won our Humanitarian Award in 1999, tirelessly urged KFC and McDonald's to treat chickens humanely and spoke out on behalf of the elephants abused by Ringling and other circuses.

Today, fur-free First Lady Michelle Obama and awareness-raising media mogul (not to mention PETA's 2008 Person of the Year) Oprah Winfrey continue the historic trend of African Americans defending animals. Author and social thinker Cornel West, record producer Russell Simmons, and community leader Rev. Al Sharpton are among the many who have ensured that Richard Pryor's legacy lives on by asking KFC to stop abusing chickens. And many more—including Tyra Banks, Tony and October Gonzalez, John Salley, Nia Long, Gilbert Arenas and Amar'e Stoudamaire—have worked with PETA in campaigns to stop the exploitation of animals. Join us this month in honoring these generous and compassionate black men and women.

Posted by Logan Scherer

Between the Trollsen twits and cruel reality show "celetestants", I'm soooo ready to say, "Bye-bye, '09. Hello, 2010."

We at PETA are feeling optimistic about the New Year. But before we ring it in, let's have a look at 2009's low points and our predictions for 2010's animal-friendly hot topics and trends.

In	Out
Werewolves Note: I know nothing about this film 'cept Benicio—rrrar!	Wearing animals
Job hunting	Sport hunting
Oprah on cable	Going to the opera in sable
Tightening your belt	Alligator belts
Gay marriage	Horse-drawn carriages
Dating cougars	Baiting cougars
Tiger's media circus	Ringling's abusive circus
Dancing With the Stars	Running of the Bulls
Watching Bones	Wearing skins

Now let's all raise our glasses to compassion for all!

Posted by Karin Bennett

I think I'm finally morphing into a football fan. First, I learned about all the excellent veggie fare at football stadiums, and today PETA released an exclusive interview with hunky football tight end Tony Gonzalez, and his gaga-gorgeous wife, October.

After their sexy shoot for a new anti-fur ad for PETA, the couple sat down to talk about the benefits of a plant-based diet. In the interview, Tony calls the cruel treatment of animals on factory farms "appalling" and describes how his health improved dramatically after ditching meat and dairy products two years ago.

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On the many benefits of his mainly plant-based diet, Tony says, "I'm going into my 13th year in the NFL, and I switched over [to a plant-based diet] two years ago. … [T]he day after a game, everybody's sore … and I'm jumping rope and they're looking at me like, 'Man you're supposed to be the old guy on the team. You're acting like you're the youngest guy on the team.'"

I may be Tony's newest admirer, but I have no doubt that many of his longtime fans will follow his lead and explore meat-free cuisine.

Posted by Karin Bennett

favthingsatl / CC

I'm not a huge football fan (I prefer baseball)—but I sure do like to eat. The meat-free offerings at the pro football stadiums listed below would be enough to convince me to shiver through a Sunday afternoon game, sans face paint, of course.

10. San Diego Chargers fans bolt to the concession stands at Qualcomm Stadium for veggie burgers, fruit salads, vegetable plates, taco salads, and the baked potato bar. There's even a seven-layer dip, which can be made vegan upon request.
9. The cruelty-free cuisine at Heinz Field—including veggie dogs, wraps, sandwiches, burgers, crudités, pasta, fresh fruit, and hummus—provide Pittsburgh Steelers fans with a winning lineup.
8. Tony Gonzalez, tight end for the Atlanta Falcons, notes the benefits that his nearly-vegan diet has on his game. His team's new home, the Georgia Dome, has plenty of savory meat-free options, including veggie burgers, a baked potato bar, a salad bar, baked five-spice seasoned tofu, curried grilled tofu cutlets, soba noodle stir-fry, and much more.
7. Have the Purple People Eaters become the Purple Veggie Eaters? Methinks so. After all, the Metrodome offers Minnesota Vikings fans a tantalizing lineup that includes veggie burgers, wraps, black-bean burgers, hummus, salads, fruit platters, and veggie platters.
6. Animal-friendly Cleveland Browns fans score big at Cleveland Browns Stadium's concession stands, which offer veggie burgers, baked potatoes, fruit salads, and the classic crowd-pleaser, PB&J.
5. Baltimore Ravens fans tackle animal abuse and meat-related illnesses when they order veggie burgers, burritos, and wraps—as well as veggie crudités, hummus, and fruit platters—at M&T Bank Stadium.
4. Want to know the real reason why Arizona Cardinal fans do the wave? They get on their feet for the meatless fare at University of Phoenix Stadium, where they can enjoy veggie burgers, bean and rice burritos, veggie stir-fry, crudités, fresh fruit, fajita bowls, and portobello sandwiches.
3. Green Bay Packers fans line up for Lambeau Field's healthy and humane veggie options, such as veggie brats (hello!), veggie burgers, baked potatoes, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, and hummus.
2. San Francisco 49ers fans know that the long lines at Candlestick Park concession stands are worth the wait: Bellies are rewarded with mouthwatering veggie burgers, veggie dogs, and veggie burritos.
1. Delicious veggie burgers, dogs, burritos, and salads at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum help the Oakland Raiders avoid the need for a quadruple bypass surgery.

Can't make it to any of the stadiums listed above? No need to wait for the Super Bowl to invite friends over to your game-day party—any Sunday will do.

Posted by Karin Bennett

blacksportsonline / CC

Perhaps seeking revenge for the treatment of the animal it came from, a piece of meat attacked and choked a California diner last Thursday—until Kansas City Chiefs star Tony Gonzalez stepped in to save the man's life. Gonzalez heard calls for help from other diners who noticed that diner Ken Hunter had begun to choke. Gonzalez, having had no training in the Heimlich maneuver, nevertheless rushed in and applied the lifesaving technique as best he could—successfully dislodging the malicious meaty bit from Hunter's throat.

Wonder how Gonzalez has such a knack for saving lives? Well, the 247 lb., 6'5", nine-time Pro Bowl selection eats a diet rich with foods that also spare the animals’ lives—to stay strong he adheres to a mostly vegan diet! How ironic that out of a restaurant full of animal eaters, it was Gonzalez who stepped in and did the "save," huh? If anyone knows where Mr. Hunter is, let's send him a "Vegetarian Starter Kit" so he can learn about some other foods that are less likely to kill him.

Posted by Sean Conner

So did y'all see the game last night? The one where my Boston Celtics took apart the Los Angeles Lakers like they were made out of Legos and won their first NBA title since 1986? If you did, you might have caught an interview where my man Kevin Garnett talked about how he transferred (he actually said "transcended," which was awesome) his tradition of eating a whole mess of PB&Js before every game over to his Celtic teammates when he was traded there in the offseason.

Professional athletes? Eating peanut butter & jelly sandwiches?

[Wait for it …]

WHERE DO THEY GET THEIR PROTEIN!?!?!?!?!?!?!?1/1/1

themikelee / CC
getwiththeprogram / CC

I found this fascinating. The reaction to the interview was pretty much: "Look at KG and his wholesome, nutritious pre-game snack. It's so wholesome! And nutritious!" But PB&J is as much of a vegetarian staple as the Boca burger—I think I ate it for lunch every day for my first eight years as a vegan. So why do I feel that if KG had said, "I eat a vegan meal before every big game," the reaction would have been … different? It's like everyone is cool with eating healthy, but for some reason, eating vegan has this whole different connotation for some people—even though it's exactly the same thing.

I read an article on ESPN.com yesterday (while I was, uh, totally working hard and not on the interwebs), where Prince Fielder, Tony Gonzalez, Mac Danzig, and a bunch of other vegetarian athletes were talking about how being vegetarian has affected their game. No surprises: Gonzalez talks about having more energy in the fourth quarter of games and being able to blow by tired, meat-eating defenders, and Danzig talks about recovering faster from workouts. You can't argue with results. I figure that if a vegetarian diet is good enough for some of the top athletes on the planet, it's good enough for everyone.

So, note to the Lakers: Maybe some PB&J will help next time. Although grabbing a few offensive boards wouldn't hurt either. Just sayin'.

—Dan

Posted by Dan Shannon