National Animal Rights Day – Austin: A Day of Remembrance and Rising Hope
- Sylvie
- Jun 4
- 2 min read
By Sylvie Abate
On Sunday, our community gathered for National Animal Rights Day (NARD) in Austin—a powerful, moving event that brought together compassion, courage, and collective hope for a more just world.
As one of the coordinators, I had the deep honor of helping shape a space where people could come together to mourn, reflect, and rise. The day began with a memorial ceremony to honor the billions of animals who have suffered at human hands. Holding white flowers in silence, we stood in remembrance as music filled the air. My son, Bryon William Harris, also an artists on my label Artists & Activists Records, performed Heart Break Like Mine—a song I wrote many years ago that found new meaning on this day. It was the first song I ever wrote, and to hear it performed in that space, in memory of the animals, was indescribably moving.
After the ceremony, the event transformed into a space of education and empowerment. We heard from some of the most inspiring voices in the animal rights movement, including:
Sharon Núñez, President of Animal Equality
Dr. Faraz Harsini, Scientist and Founder of Allied Scholars for Animal Protection
Chris Fuller-Wig, Co-founder of Austin Farm Sanctuary
Dan Illescas, Founder of Central Texas Pig Rescue
Renee King, Rowdy Girl Sanctuary
One of the most powerful takeaways from the day is this: every major social justice movement throughout history has begun with a small group of brave people willing to speak out against violence, oppression, and exploitation—even when the majority wasn’t ready to listen. The same is true for animal rights. Non-human animals—who feel pain and joy, who grieve, love, and form deep bonds—deserve full liberation. And it is so often those living at the margins who are the first to shine a light on injustice.
We left the event not only with full hearts, but with renewed strength. The fight for animals is growing, and the community here in Austin is rising with it. Thank you to everyone who stood with us. Until every cage is empty.
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