Mark your calendar! The annual Animal Rights National Conference in Alexandria, Va., the world’s largest and longest-running animal rights gathering, hailing back to 1981, is a month away and Friends of Animals is excited to be a sponsor, exhibitor and presenter. AR2015, which will take place July 30-Aug. 2, is the only conference in the nation open to all points of view on achieving animal liberation.

FoA’s Campaigns Director Edita Birnkrant will participate in two sessions: Challenging the Humane Hoax —The Use of Language and Labels to Deceive Consumers; and Protecting America’s Wild Horses from Extinction—FoA’s Legal and On the Ground Actions to Save the Last of America’s Wild Horse Herds. Both talks will cover our advocacy work and what we are doing on the frontlines to protect animals from exploitation. We will discuss our recent lawsuits aimed at stopping the roundups of wild horses on public lands and show how the United State’s government has mismanaged and abused mustangs for decades. 

The conference is designed for people who wish to improve their animal advocacy skills or simply to network with other animal activists. The Conference will offer: 100 sessions on animal advocacy, organizing, tactics, and issues; speakers from 60 organizations; eyewitness reports on key campaigns; 90 free exhibits; video premieres; nightly networking receptions as well as protests and lobbying on the last day.You can get more information about the conference by visiting their website here and read more about the conference’s mission below:

Mission: The Animal Rights National Conference is devoted to advancing the vision of animal rights, as promulgated at the 1990 “March For Animals” over the signatures of 50 organizations: “Animals have the right to be free from all forms of human exploitation.” Consequently, advocacy of continued exploitation of animals under improved conditions, sometimes referred to as “happy meat,” is not welcome. At the same time, we recognize that there are multiple paths, missions, strategies, and tactics for bringing us closer to the vision of animal rights.

Information: The Animal Rights National Conference is the U.S. animal rights movement’s annual national conference. It is also the world’s largest and longest-running animal rights gathering, hailing back to 1981. It is the only conference open to all points of view on achieving animal liberation.