Witch Weekly's Most Inspiring Activist Award: Evanna Lynch

Our Witch Weekly series is back – this time with the courageous and compassionate Evanna Lynch! To celebrate Evanna’s birthday (August 16th!), we’re exploring what makes this fearless Gryffindor our newest Witch Weekly’s Most Inspiring Activist!
 
We’re introduced to the Irish actress in Order of the Phoenix as the quirkiest witch of her age – Luna Lovegood! 

Beyond the world of Potter, Evanna is one of the most daring and outspoken advocates for veganism, animal welfare, and animal rights. Through her writing, podcasting, and entrepreneurship, Evanna is inspiring Potter fans worldwide to adopt a more compassionate lifestyle.
 
Evanna started her activist journey young when, at the age of 11, she became a vegetarian because she was distressed at the thought of animals being used as food. She wanted to avoid “bloodshed” on her plate.

In 2013, Evanna read the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and engaged with the work of charities like Veganuary and PETA, guiding her transition towards veganism. In an interview with The Beet in 2020, Evanna said of the charities:

That taught me that any time an animal is exploited for their milk or eggs or coat, their welfare will always be a lower priority than profit, and that they will be seen and treated as commodities, not individual sentient beings. So they always suffer  . . .  the easiest way to be sure you’re not funding and supporting this suffering is to embrace veganism.”

Although Evanna openly admits that she found the transition longer and more challenging than vegetarianism, she “eventually managed to do it in a way that felt abundant and joyful.”
 
This joyful, hopeful energy is at the heart of Evanna’s activism.  Evanna’s veganism welcomes mistakes and encourages those starting their vegan journeys to feel empowered and have fun!
 
Evanna primarily devotes her activism to her weekly vegan podcast, The Chickpeeps, which helps listeners explore and discuss dilemmas faced by vegans in a non-vegan world. 

With co-hosts Momoko Hill, young James Potter star Robbie Jarvis, and The Protego Foundation’s very own Tylor Starr, Evanna and her co-hosts share their experiences to illustrate how diverse the world of veganism can be. The show is best known for how the quartet  interviews a variety of intriguing vegan guests who share their own perspectives on veganism.

In an interview with MuggleNet in December 2020, Evanna shared how  she hoped the podcast will continue to focus on the challenging questions within the vegan community, including whether veganism is “too white or too privileged and only aimed at middle-class white people,” and encouraging listeners to work towards an intersectional, anti-oppressive approach to veganism. 
 
The Protego Foundation’s favorite Chickpeeps podcast episodes include:
 

• S2, E1: Effective Activism with Earthling Ed
• S3, E15: Redistributing Privilege in Veganism with Mikaela Loach
• S3, E19: Food Equity and Justice with Lauren Ornelas of Food Empowerment Project

 
There are also various magical episodes within each season that explore veganism and animal rights within the wizarding world, with our own ProtegoCast getting a very special mention in Season 1’s Episode 9 ¾ : Animal Rights in the Wizarding World Part 1 and 2 and Season 2’s Episode 26: Animal Rights in the Wizarding World Part 3.

​When Evanna is not promoting veganism on the Wizarding Wireless Network, she works with various animal rights and welfare charities including Veganuary, Mercy for Animals, PETA, Animal Equality, World Animal Protection, Advancing Law for Animals, and Compassion in World Farming. 

She does not shy away from sharing the hard-hitting truths of the realities of animal abuse all over the world. She most recently participated in an undercover investigation in collaboration with VFC and Veganuary, where she visited a British chicken factory farm. 

Evanna said of her visit:

I am free to leave all that pain behind a heavy, soundproof door and the animals are not and there’s just something so unfair about that when they’ve done nothing at all to warrant such callous, systematic cruelty…It’s unfair that we continue to subject them to lives of ceaseless misery when we have so many delicious, healthy alternatives to eating their flesh.”

(Trigger warning: the full video of Evanna’s visit includes some graphic imagery.)

As a trailblazer paving the way to ensure compassion is a more accessible choice beyond our plates, the enterprising Evanna co-founded the vegan and cruelty-free beauty subscription box, Kinder Beauty, with friends and fellow entrepreneurs, Daniella Monet and Andrew Bernstein. 

These monthly subscription boxes full of animal-free potions promote cosmetic and skincare products for everyone who is opposed to animal testing – not only vegans!
 
Most recently, Evanna has picked up her very own owl-free quill to become a published author in her memoir, The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and the Glory of Growing Up. 

An honest and heartfelt account of her childhood and struggle with disordered eating, Evanna’s memoir is an inspirational narrative of the hurdles she has overcome to achieve her dreams and of her acceptance of the “unpredictable reality of womanhood.”

The book is due to be released in the fall of 2021 and fans are currently able to pre-order a copy from all major bookstores. We cannot wait to read Evanna’s book and support her through this latest endeavour!
 
We love how Evanna has dedicated her life to fighting for animals and educating millions of her fans from around the globe to engage in a compassionate lifestyle free from animal suffering and cruelty. 

We are unbelievably lucky to have a fearless (and spangly!) activist like Evanna supporting The Protego Foundation and are so grateful for her passion, determination, and voice that she uses to help advocate and fight for animals.



Written by Lucy McCabe

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