Just in time to be included in the last chapter of my thesis, Alex Brown's work has been recognized in the Thoroughbred Times. It truly is extraordinary how the legacy of Barbaro has inspired an entire grass roots campaign for equine welfare and should be, as I do mention in my thesis, the subject of an entire dissertation (far out of the realm of my expertise).
Just for the record, in a little over two years, Alex Brown has spearheaded an online campaign to raise more than $1 million and rescue more than 2700 horses from the slaughter pipeline. This truly is astounding, especially when you consider that before Barbaro, Brown, as he admits, "never spent much time thinking about horse slaughter."
Talk about the power of the Internet plus the power of a tech-savvy webmaster. I maintain it takes both to energize, motivate and galvanize a disparate community, not to mention, constant time and attention.
Brown continues to uses social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace to expand the geographical base of his group's efforts. He also continues to promote unity among animal welfare organizations--distinct from animal rights groups--and to reach out to horsemen, who are not always on board when it comes to groups who aim to disrupt their sport.
By serving as an advocate for horses, AND working withing the industry, Brown occupies a unique position that gives his stance credibility, especially among those who might not listen to his point of view. In addition, his background as an instructor in web marketing is huge, giving him the tools to actually practice what he used to teach.
I'm in the process of determining if there is life after the thesis--in other words, does anybody want to hear more? If so, you can be sure that the story of Alex Brown will occupy a significant chapter.
In the meantime, kudos to Alex for all that he has done.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment