Animal Rights 2009 National Conference Report

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AR2009 Wrap-Up Report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AR2009 National Conference Defies Recession

Photo Gallery           Full Report            Recordings        

More than 900 participants and visitors from throughout the U.S. and eight

other countries attended the Animal Rights 2009 National Conference, held on

July 16-20th in Los Angeles.

More than a hundred speakers from 60 groups presented in 120 sessions,

including plenaries, workshops, raps, and campaign reports. Nearly 90

organizations exhibited their literature and merchandise. More than 60

videos of animal abuse and protective actions were screened, including several

premieres.

Please visit our photo gallery containing special sections of attendees,

events, exhibits, and presenters.

Highlights

 

Plenary panels on our movement's progress and prospects, reports on key

campaigns, different paths to animal liberation, and voices from other movements

Workshops on problems, organizing, and actions

Rap sessions on controversial issues in our movement

Newcomer orientations and networking receptions

Celebrity Animal Activist Award to HLN anchor Jane Velez-Mitchell

IDA Guardian Awards to Elaine Hendrix and Bill Dyer

Animal Rights Hall of Fame Award to Nathan Runkle

Henry Spira Grassroots Activist Awards to Lauren Ornelas and David Bemel

Young Animal Activist Award to Jack Nunn

Awards for best vegan and other animal liberation campaigns

Comedians French Stewart and ANT helped raise $25,000 for the AR

Conference, Sea Shepherd, and Hunter Harassment Defense Fund

Post-conference activities including training in public speaking and

interviewing, and a demo protesting UCLA animal experiments

 

Key Speakers

National Lawyers Guild Executive Director Heidi Boghosian, Stop Animal

Exploitation Now! founder Michael Budkie, United Poultry Concerns founder Karen

Davis, DawnWatch founder

Karen Dawn, Rainforest Action Network Campaign Coordinator Debra Erenberg, Win

Animal Rights founder Camille Hankins, Farm Animal Rights Movement and AR

Conference founder Alex Hershaft, Animal Acres founder Lorri Houston, In

Defense of Animals founder Elliot Katz, vegan Congressman Dennis Kucinich (by

video),

International Primate Protection League founder Shirley McGreal, Food - Not

Bombs! founder Keith McHenry, " Earthlings " producer Shaun Monson, Best Friends

Animal Society co-founder Michael Mountain, Vegan Outreach co-founder Jack

Norris, " Green Is the New Red " blogger Will Potter, Alley Cat Allies founder

Becky Robinson, Mercy For Animals founder Nathan Runkle, Sea Shepherd

Conservation Society founder Paul Watson. (For complete speaker list, click

here.)

Award Winners

Veteran animal activist and HLN (formerly CNN's Headline News) cable channel

anchor Jane Velez-Mitchell received the Celebrity Animal Rights Activist Award.

Jane devotes a number of her shows to animal issues and has founded an

organization to enforce animal protection laws.

Mercy For Animals founder Nathan Runkle was elected by AR2009 speakers to

the U.S. Animal Rights Hall of

Fame. Nathan founded MFA after attending our Animal Rights 1997 Conference at

age 13, then grew the organization into a national force for farmed animals. He

had received our Young Animal Rights Activist Award at AR2000.

Lauren Ornelas of Food Empowerment Project and David Bemel of Action for

Animals were

honored with the coveted Henry Spira Grassroots Animal Rights Activist Award.

 

 

18-year-old Jack Nunn of Win Animal Rights received the Young Animal Rights

Activist Award co-sponsored by In Defense of Animals. Jack is a regular

participant in WAR's almost daily

demonstrations designed to stop cruel experiments at the Huntingdon Life Science

Laboratory.

More than a thousand animal activists voted in our first Most Effective

Animal Liberation Campaigns web-based contest. In the vegan category, Compassion

Over Killing won for their cable channel

PSAs and Mercy For Animals won for their undercover factory farm investigations.

In the animal rights (non-vegan) category, Sea Shepherd won for their Operation

Musashi and Win Animal Rights won for their Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty

campaign.

 

Recordings

 

Videos of the plenary sessions and all audio recordings are available from our

favorite recording firm JOB-CRS.

MP3 CDs: Individual audio sessions are $11, plenaries - $18, and the entire

conference is only $179.

Now, you can get a DVD of all four plenaries for only $25 each or $100 for

the set!

Co-Sponsors

Special thanks to our co-sponsors: In Defense of Animals, Sea Shepherd

Conservation Society, International Primate Protection League, and Anti-Fur

Society, as well as: ACT Radio, Animal Acres, E/Environmental Magazine, Eko

Zone, Healing

Species, League of Humane Voters, Mercy For Animals, Skin Trade, Stop Animal

Exploitation Now!, United Poultry Concerns, VegNews Magazine

The Animal Rights 2009 National Conference is organized each year by FARM

(Farm Animal Rights Movement). Please join us next Summer in Washington, DC, for

a marvelous AR2010 experience!

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