If you live in Washington D.C., apparently you can now write “Hayden Panettiere Day” under September 16 on your calendar.
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray held a ceremony on Friday honoring the actress/activist for her support of the cause to make Washington D.C. a state. According to the Huffington Post, she has appeared in a video for the D.C. Statehood Fund along with Shadow Senator Paul Strauss, as well as attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention as a guest of D.C. Statehood Fund. Panettiere said, “It seems like such (an) unfathomable fact that, you know, it’s taxation without representation in D.C., and that there’s no democracy in our democracy, at the heart of it,” according to ABC News.
Jeff Pantukhoff, President of the Whaleman Foundation was also in attendance on Friday. Hayden is the international spokesperson for the organization, and an advocate for whales and other ocean wildlife. She said that she admires Mayor Gray’s willingness to go to jail for his causes (he and other city leaders were arrested while protesting Congress’ interference with D.C.’s budget in April), and that she hoped to be arrested while in Japan protesting the slaughter of dolphins. “I was very impressed,” she said. “I tried my hardest to get arrested in Japan, to no avail.”
About Jennifer Mishler
Jennifer is an animal advocate and activist. She is a volunteer coordinator with The Girls Gone Green, a nonprofit organization advocating for animals rights, veganism, and environmentalism. She is also an Onshore Volunteer with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and a volunteer with CJ Acres Animal Rescue Farm, a nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates farm animals. Along with writing for Ecorazzi, she writes about veganism and animal rights on her blog, A Dog's Eye View. She lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband and their three animal friends. Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @jennygoneveganView all posts by Jennifer Mishler →
