PETA supporters gathered in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, April 18, for a powerful afternoon celebrating compassion, courage, and the individuals who refuse to remain silent when they witness cruelty. Held at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, the event featured a new, powerful presentation from PETA Founder, Ingrid Newkirk and PETA President, Tracy Reiman who were joined by fellow team members Jeff Kerr, PETA’s General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, and Jakob Shaw, Manager of Strategic Initiatives, who shared how PETA is altering animals’ fates with groundbreaking advances in science, innovative legal strategies, daring undercover investigations, and hard-hitting campaigns that change people forever.

A highlight of the event was the presentation of the 2026 Nanci Alexander Activist Award to Dr. Kathy Strickland, a veterinarian whose integrity and bravery exposed systemic cruelty within a primate experimentation facility. The award’s namesake, Nanci Alexander, has been with PETA since the very beginning, is one of our honorary directors, and is an inspiration to fellow PETA team members.

Dr. Strickland accepted a position at Alpha Genesis, a South Carolina primate dealer and experimentation facility, believing she would be practicing progressive veterinary medicine. Instead, she encountered routine neglect, cost‑cutting at the animals’ expense, and a culture that dismissed suffering as unavoidable. Refusing to look away, she carefully documented the abuses endured by the monkeys imprisoned there and contacted PETA as a whistleblower. Though she was fired and faced intimidation from the company’s attorneys, Dr. Strickland stood firm. Her actions helped lead to a New Yorker exposé that deepened public understanding of the hidden cruelty inside laboratories and reinforced the vital role whistleblowers play in protecting animals.

The afternoon also featured special appearances from other inspiring PETA members, including actor and honorary director Edie Falco, who joined guests in celebrating decades of progress for animals and the collective impact of the PETA community.

Guests enjoyed vegan fare with exciting and enticing canapes featuring donations from some of the top vegan food companies out there, including Chunk Foods, whose Chunk Slab was featured in the carving station, the new JUST Meat chicken, Meaty Meat Pork-ish by Juicy Marbles, vegan cheese from Bandit and Darë Vegan Cheese, vegan salmon from Oshi, and Cavi-art! Because of compassionate, committed members, PETA will continue backing whistleblowers, exposing cruelty, and working for a kinder future for animals everywhere.

Together, we honor heroes like Dr. Strickland, whose courage reminds us that one voice truly can change lives.