63. Winning Hearts and Minds for Animals
December 23, 2021
After more than two years of offering biweekly reflections on our movement, the time has come for me to transition to the writing of the
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61. Fighting for Farmed Animals Since 1975
November 23, 2021
FARM (Farm Animal Rights Movement) is the oldest U.S. animal rights organization and the only one fighting for farmed animals during our movement’s first two
60. Save the Turkeys!
November 10, 2021
Thanksgiving and Christmas have been traditionally and literally “murder” on turkeys. The growing popularity of plant-based roasts and the Covid-induced ban on large family gatherings
59. Our Killing Quandary
October 26, 2021
We’re all deeply troubled by the killing of animals for food. We wonder who the killers are and what makes them do it. We draw
55. To the Animals, All People Are Nazis
August 31, 2021
This date (September 1) marks the 82nd anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland and the start of World War II, leading eventually to the
51. Honoring Our Pioneers: Henry Spira
July 6, 2021
We stand on the shoulders of pioneers who conceived, built, and nurtured our movement, yet are now forgotten. They displayed uncommon vision, creativity, conviction, daring,
50. Struggling with Ethics and Solidarity
June 22, 2021
As vegans, our ethical obligations toward animals are perfectly clear. As animal rights advocates, we know where our solidarity resides. Or do we? Please join
49. Our Intersectional Quandary
June 8, 2021
Many of us claim that animal oppression lies at the root of all oppression. Some of us come to animal rights advocacy from participation in
48. What Tears Us Apart
May 25, 2021
Our last essay reviewed the several devices that have allowed us to forge our respect and compassion for animals into a viable and lasting international
47. What Has Brought Us Together
May 11, 2021
The basic elements of a movement are vision, campaigns, publications, and conferences. How did those elements play out in forming, shaping, and nurturing our own
42. MeatOut – A Global Success Story
March 2, 2021
March 20th will mark the 37th annual observance of MeatOut, our global grassroots campaign to end the use of animals for food. Other such efforts
40. Finding Herb
February 2, 2021
Thirty-five years ago, a ragtag group of vegan activists took on one of the world’s largest purveyors of animal flesh in a battle of wits.
39. Holocaust Survivors Launch a Movement
January 19, 2021
Looking ahead to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th, it’s altogether fitting that we recall three Holocaust survivors who were instrumental in launching
38. Our Challenges for the ’20s
January 5, 2021
Social movements, like all living and prospering entities, must evolve and grow, else they wither and die. In the next decade, our movement will face
37. Animal Rights in 2020 Hindsight
December 22, 2020
The slow pace of social change may make us wonder whether our struggle to save animals is bearing fruit. Our success becomes so much more
35. Contributing to Our Movement
November 24, 2020
We all want to help secure the basic rights to life, bodily integrity, and freedom of movement for animals, but don’t always know how. High
32. Electing for Animals
October 13, 2020
Every four years, presidential elections offer an unparalleled opportunity to introduce animal rights to our nation’s power brokers and the media. The process starts with
29. To the Animals, All People are Nazis
September 1, 2020
Today’s essay marks the beginning of the second year of The Vegan Blog. It reprises our very first essay recounting my journey from the Holocaust
25. The Do’s and Don’ts of Planning a Conference
July 7, 2020
Conferences are an effective vehicle for forming, shaping, and nurturing our movement. They offer documentation of animal abuses, activist training, and lots of inspiration and
23. What Brought Us Together
June 9, 2020
At what point does a vision induce people to act on it? At what point do individual actions become a movement? And, what is the
20. Growing Our Activism
April 28, 2020
Are we really in charge of our lives, or a mere product of circumstances? Why can’t we be like some of the outstanding activists in
18. Grassroots Activism – Then and Now
March 31, 2020
Grassroots activism gave birth to the animal rights movement and fostered its growth for the next three decades. Then, its role has greatly diminished. Here,
16. Power of Language & Rhetoric
March 3, 2020
Language and rhetoric are the fundamental tools of any advocacy. Language refers to our choice of words and expressions. Rhetoric is the art of shaping
14. Vegan World & Social Change
February 4, 2020
Human behavior, including what we eat, is dictated by our community’s powerful social norms. These norms are shaped by our collective needs, desires, and morals,
13. Why We Oppress? Why Animals?
January 21, 2020
Just a few days from now, on January 27th, the world will observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date marks 75 years since liberation of
12. An AR Blueprint For the ’20s
January 7, 2020
Social movements, like all living and prospering entities, must evolve and grow, else they wither and die. In the next decade, our movement will face
10. Animal Rights or Animal Lives?
December 10, 2019
I have been championing animal rights since organizing the first national animal rights conference in 1981. But how do I explain this concept to my
08. Don’t Eat the Turkey!
November 12, 2019
It was a beautiful day in Washington in early September of 1975. I was still flush with excitement from having attended my first World Vegetarian
07. Three Holocaust Survivors Launched a Movement
October 29, 2019
The concept that animals should be endowed with certain basic rights, as an extension of human rights, was first proposed by British social reformer Henry
06. Don’t Cut the Animals
October 15, 2019
Exploitation of animals in the name of science came much later in the history of human civilization than their exploitation for labor, religious sacrifices, and