As crowds rallied outside the Supreme Court while the justices heard arguments on landmark cases regarding California's Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), members of PETA were there to make the point that as Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Like other victims of oppression, animals shouldn't be mistreated because they are different from those in power. We can all stand up to corporate bullies by refusing to buy anything that comes from cruelty. PETA will be outside the Supreme Court again tomorrow as arguments are heard against DOMA.  

PETA campaigners headed out for the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall on Monday toting a box of All Animals Are Equal magazines and signs featuring one of Dr. King's most famous quotes, hoping to inspire people. As it turned out, we were the ones who were inspired.

The PETA gals met a beautiful little girl who, at 9 years old, is already an advocate for social justice, including animal rights. She told them that she went vegetarian at age 6, and today she's truly honoring Dr. King exactly as we all should—not just in voice, but in practice—by continuing to fight injustice with knowledge and love.

Dr. King once said, "[B]abies, we are told, are the latest news from Heaven." He would also likely agree with these famous words: "And a child shall lead them."

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

Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsc-01269

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolent message is as relevant today as it was during his lifetime. Although this is the day officially set aside each year to pay tribute to his legacy, we can pay tribute to Dr. King every day by opposing discrimination against anyone, including animals. Whenever we speak up against the oppression of animals who are suffering in circuses, in backyards, in laboratories, and on factory farms, we honor his commitment to social justice.

The animal rights movement draws inspiration from—and is an obvious successor to—the civil rights movement. In fact, Dr. King's inspiration for nonviolent action was Mohandas Gandhi, who was an animal advocate and ethical vegetarian, and animal rights issues have been important to Dr. King's family members, including his widow, the late Coretta Scott King, who adopted a vegan diet, as has their son, Dexter Scott King.

Today, and every day, countless opportunities exist to bring about a more just world, whether by volunteering at a local animal shelter or helping underprivileged or elderly neighbors care for their animal companions. But the underlying principle behind Dr. King's teachings about the proper response to injustice is never to be silent.

Courtesy of LOC, LC-USZ62-126559

More than 10,000 people crowded onto the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sunday to attend the dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Besides being a leader of the civil rights movement, King also spoke out on other volatile issues of the day, such as the Vietnam War. When asked why he would concern himself with anything other than civil rights, he answered, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." In that spirit, PETA volunteers attended the dedication and urged the receptive crowd to further honor his legacy by ending injustice to the billions of animals killed for food every year.

King's widow, Coretta Scott King, was a vegan in her later years, as is his son, Dexter Scott King. To truly end all social injustice, please consider following in their compassionate footsteps, and order PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit today.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Originally posted by Forbes.com

Michael Tobias (MT) What is the most pressing problem that animal rights groups like PETA face today?

Ingrid Newkirk: (IN) That’s a bit like asking which shoes pinch the most. It’s got to be what people eat, simply because, while not everyone wears fur or experiments on animals, everyone eats. That means a mind-boggling number of animals suffer for the palate. And the cruelty isn’t just in daft and cruel killings. It’s the casual cruelty of the lunchtime sandwich or the evening meal. This is not to say that dietary habits aren’t changing. Putting aside the New Jersey woman who is vying to be the fattest person on the planet, we see cookbooks like Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet and programs like Dr. Neal Barnard’s 21- Day Weight Loss Kick Start become bestsellers right out of the gate. But, in America alone, human beings breed, raise, transport, and then slaughter more than 16 billion land animals every 365 days. That doesn’t even count fish and crabs, who aren’t inanimate objects, no matter how hard it may be for us to relate to them.

MT: What one thing would you ban?

IN: Supremacism! That’s like racism and sexism―the idea that others are less than you in intellect or table manners or looks and that therefore that gives you carte blanche to manipulate, use, abuse, and slaughter them as you like. It’s self-serving, ignorant malarkey.

MT: Animal stories are constantly in the news. Which ones do you think have been helpful to PETA, if any?

IN: You’d have to live in a cave to have missed the Michael Vick trial―that has at least put dogfighting, the silent blood sport, on the map in this country. And the story about the chimpanzee who tore a woman’s face off has made some legislators think about a ban on wild animals, who get so frustrated in captivity that they go berserk. When newspapers ran the whistleblower photos of how the circus trains baby elephants with beatings and tie-downs, that woke a lot of people up―so much so that almost 1,000 people showed up in Los Angeles to protest when the beast wagons rolled into town.  PETA’s “silly” stunts get ink and air time. Like our beating Michelle Bachmann to the punch by bringing back two dollar a gallon gas first. We paid the extra pump cost and served up Tofurkey sandwiches to motorists, and it allowed us to make the point that you can do more to reduce your carbon footprint by going vegan than you can by driving a hybrid car. Our “sexy” ads get a lot of play, and while people might laugh at them, they also look at them, and they come to PETA.org to watch the sexy videos but go away the wiser for it.

MT: People must ask you “Aren’t there more important causes?”

IN: That’s a sort of “As long as I’m all right, Jack” attitude. When Martin Luther King Jr. protested U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, his followers admonished him and said that he should stay out of it, that it didn’t directly involve civil rights. Dr. King replied, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” I don’t subscribe to the idea that we must look after men or whites or Americans or whomever we most closely identify with first, and then and only then can we help others. Our compassion is big enough to let us look beyond the identity of the victim to the injustice and object to that. To me, it is one world, and the non-human animals bear the brunt of oppression and suffering.

Read the rest of the interview at Forbes.com

Michael Tobias is the President and CEO of the Dancing Star Foundation, a global ecologist, anthropologist, historian, explorer, author and filmmaker.

In the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic plea for nonviolent change, PETA's very own Chris P. Carrot and "cow" brought a message to those attending Glenn Beck's "I Have a Dream"–themed rally Saturday to think about compassion for animals by going vegan. The outpouring of high-fives (and cold beverages) from the crowd made it clear that our nonpartisan purveyors of peace were indeed the life of the (Tea) party.

Written by Karin Bennett

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.

Written by Logan Scherer

edenfoundation / CC

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is fast approaching, and here at PETA we've decided to take our cue from President-elect Obama, who suggests that you make January 19 a day of service instead of just a day off. We think it's a fantastic idea for everyone to spend their day doing something to make a difference, and we even have a suggestion: Help animals! Luckily, it's easy to get active with PETA, whether you want to put a bumper sticker on your car or organize a demonstration. Check out our Action Center to find out what you can do, or try a few of these ideas:

Step 1: Get Social
You could throw a banner or two on your MySpace page, support our cause on Facebook, send a tweet on Twitter, embed some of our YouTube videos on your personal Web site, or create an animal-friendly e-mail signature or out-of-office auto-response. It's as easy as that!

Step 2: Participate in Action Alerts
Check out our list of Action Alerts for opportunities to sign petitions, send letters, and make a real difference in the lives of animals. Most of these will take less than a minute of your time, and you can forward them to your friends when you're done.

Step 3: Spread the Word
Order some PETA leaflets and set up a table. You can get out the word on anything and everything you feel strongly about, whether it's KFC cruelty or animal birth control. We even have a handy guide to tabling to help you get started.

Step 4: Make It Official
PETA is always looking for potential volunteers, interns, and employees to help save animals across the country. Check out our job listings or join our A-Team.

Inspired yet? You can also flip through Making Kind Choices or One Can Make a Difference for some more motivating ideas. Post a comment to let us know what your MLK Jr. Day plans are.

Written by Lianne Turner