Almira is Direct Actions Everywhere (DxE)’s lead organizer. She expertly executes the organization’s annual strategy and budget, ensuring seamless operations across various teams. Almira’s dedication and leadership are pivotal in keeping everything running smoothly!
Tell us more about yourself. Where are you from?
Until every animal is free
Almira Tanner
My name is Almira Tanner and I am the lead organizer of Direct Action Everywhere, a grassroots network of animal rights activists working to achieve revolutionary social and political change for animals in one generation. I’m originally from Vancouver, Canada, but now live in Berkeley, California. I am extremely lucky that I now get to spend almost all my time advocating for animals, though previously I worked in a hospital as an Occupational Therapist. I love running and seeing live music and I’m (re-)learning to play the piano.
Share Your Vegan Journey: What Inspired Your Transition?
If we are afraid of losing, will never make the kind of progress that animals need us to make
Almira Tanner
Growing up, I always loved animals as most kids do. When I was 10 years old, my best friend asked me why I ate animals if I loved them so much. I didn’t have a great answer to that question and I decided to become vegetarian essentially on the spot. I was not educated about the cruelty of the dairy and egg industries and had never even heard the term vegan at that time. In 2010, after finishing college, I wasn’t feeling my best health-wise and that led me down a path of researching the health impacts of different foods, including dairy. That then led me to discovering the ethical issues with dairy and eggs. At first I felt conflicted – I really loved cheese, but I was a vegetarian for ethical reasons and just finding out that consuming dairy and eggs was really no different than consuming flesh – but I soon after decided to make the transition to a fully plant-based diet. So I’ve been vegetarian for 27 years and vegan for 14 years.
Any interesting stories during this period?
So many! Becoming vegan has radically changed my life for the better. I have had the opportunity to meet incre.dible activists from around the world, live in alignment with my values, and also help directly rescue animals from factory farms and slaughterhouses. I’ve been on the news and given talks across the United States and I’ve trained hundreds of people to take action for animals. I’ve also helped pass groundbreaking legislation like the California ban on fur and I’m currently working on the US’s first-ever factory farm ban ballot measure.
What are some challenges faced in finding vegan food? or eating out with friends, etc. How do you overcome these?
Having been vegan and vegetarian for so long, I do not experience these challenges any more. Not eating animals is so normal to me, I don’t even think of them as food. But, I think it’s natural to have some struggles at the beginning, especially around social situations. It takes time, but stick with it! Try to explain to your friends and family why you are doing this while coming from a place of empathy and non judgment. Get used to eating some sad meals of french fries or plain salad – you’ll be okay!
How do you feel about being a vegan?
The animals confined inside farms and slaughterhouses cannot wait. They suffer ever day
Almira Tanner
I feel amazing, but most importantly I feel amazing being an animal rights activist. I think our consumer habits are important reflections of our values and beliefs, but the animals need us to speak up for them! Regardless of where you are (omnivore, vegetarian, vegan) I think the most important thing you can do is to start getting active for animals.
What are some misconceptions about a vegan? How do you explain or educate?
To me, being vegan is a personal expression of my anti-speciesist values. I think a misconception is that it’s just about what you eat, or maybe just about eating healthy, but it’s so much more. It’s about changing the way we view other animals and taking them into moral consideration. And that moral consideration should encourage us to go beyond just changing what is on our plate. It’s political. We need to change policies, laws, social norms, culture, and more in order to create a better future for animals – and us, too.
To someone who’s just beginning to go meatless, what is your advice?
It’s time that we recognize animals as the individuals they are, not as pieces of property to exploit as we please
Almira Tanner
Find a community of like-minded people! Being surrounded by other people who care about animals is by far the best advice I could give anyone. If there is no community in your area, start one. There are lots of people out there who may feel like you do and just need the social support to take action.
Almira Tanner
Lead organizer at @directactioneverywhere
✊ Working to create revolutionary social and political change for animals in one generation
all images courtesy of Almira Tanner