AR2009 REPORT
 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.
105 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
premieres.
Visit our photo
gallery with special
sections of attendees, events,
exhibits, 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 issues, organizing, actions
- Rap sessions on controversial topics
- Newcomer orientations and networking
- Celebrity
Animal Activist Award to HLN anchor Jane Velez-Mitchell
- Animal Rights Hall of Fame Award to Nathan Runkle
- Henry
Spira Grassroots Activist Awards to
Lauren Ornelas and David Bemel
- Young Activist Award to Jack Nunn
- Most Effective Awards for best vegan and other
 animal liberation campaigns
- Celebrity guests and speakers, including Elaine Hendrix, French Stewart, ANT, Charlotte Ross and Nichelle Nichols.
- Live auction fundraiser hosted by French Stewart and comedian ANT raised more than $25,000 for the AR Conference, Hunter Harassment Defense Fund and Sea Shepherd. Click here for fun celebrity, fundraiser and award photos.
- 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.
Celebrity Guests
Celebrity guests included Jane Velez-Mitchell, French Stewart, ANT, Elaine Hendrix, Charlotte Ross, and Nichelle Nichols. See more celebrity photos and bios.
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 a group to enforce animal protection laws.
Mercy For Animals founder Nathan Runkle was elected by 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 prestigious 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 to stop cruel experiments at Huntingdon Life Science Lab.
More than a thousand 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 runner-up for undercover factory farm investigations. In the non-vegan category, Sea Shepherd won for Operation Musashi and Win Animal Rights for Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaign.
  In Defense of Animals founder & president Elliot Katz presented the IDA Guardian Award to actress Elaine Hendrix. She is the IDA celebrity spokesperson, has participated in protests against animal cruelty, and is involved in Pets 90210 adoption. Bill Dyer was honored with IDA's Lifetime Achievement Award. The ceremony included testimonials and video of Bill's actions.
Recordings
 Videos of the keynote plenary sessions and all the 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!
Click here to order audio and/or video recordings.
Special thanks to our Sponsors, Exhibitors & Donors!
~Spectacular Sponsors~
~Exciting Exhibitors~
~Dynamite Food & Fundraiser Donors~
Thank
you again, and please join
us for AR2010 in DC! |
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