Summer Conference Inspires New and Veteran Activists

By Dax Riner

On June 6–8, nearly 200 attendees converged on the Humbert H. Humphrey Conference Center at the University of Minnesota for CAA's first Their Lives, Our Voices (TLOV) Conference. Activists from across the U.S. were educated and inspired by an impressive range of speakers and workshops. They also enjoyed exceptional vegan food donated by many local organizations.

TLOV is intended to be an affordable, accessible conference for animal rights activists, especially those based in the Midwest. It was a chance to meet, network, and learn new tips and tactics. Speakers at the conference offered an array of presentations and discussions focused on factory farming. Farm Sanctuary president and co-founder Gene Bauer got the first full day off to an invigorating start with his heartening keynote presentation, "Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food".

Workshop presenters on Saturday included Matt Ball, executive director of Vegan Outreach, and Karen Davis, president of United Poultry Concerns, and authors Hillary Rettig and Karen Dawn. Nathan Runkle of Mercy for Animals held a special pre-screening of "Fowl Play", a moving documentary spotlighting the plight of egg-laying hens on factory farms.

Discussion groups tackled a variety of subjects including what methods of activism are effective and ethical, how the "pursuit of purity" in veganism affects us and our movement, and how to best deal with friends and family. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks provided the perfect cap to the day with her stirring keynote on how to be a joyful vegan in a non-vegan world. Her passion and humor brought the crowd to its feet.

On Sunday, Paul Shapiro of the Humane Society of the United States kicked the day off with a keynote outlining the movement’s successes, focusing on legislative victories in Arizona, California, and Florida. Parallels between feminism and animal rights were tackled in a panel discussion led by greta gaard and Emily Gaarder, and author and veteran activist pattrice jones spoke candidly on the roles of race, class, sex, and species in animal advocacy. Lorri Bauston of Animal Acres Sanctuary and attorney Karmen McQuitty spoke on how to further animal rights within legislative and legal realms, while discussion groups addressed such subjects as burnout, non-veg-friendly jobs, and dealing with stress and grief.

Fittingly, one of the most moving presentations was the last. Freeman Wicklund, who was pressed into duty as a last-minute replacement for Carol Adams, closed the conference with a stirring, emotional speech that ended on a heart-wrenching but inspiring note that brought the crowd to a standing ovation.

That such an ambitious undertaking came off so successfully is a testament to the dedicated and tireless work of CAA staff and volunteers. We hope that the conference energized everyone who came, and that they'll take what they learned here in Minneapolis back home with them to help animals.