Five Decades — One Mission

With 2025 behind us, we are pleased to celebrate that year’s role as the golden anniversary of the 1975 founding of the U.S. animal rights movement. We asked ten early leaders to offer their historic recollections of the two transformative 1975 events, the early campaigns, conferences, and publications, the key pioneers who are no longer with us, and our movement’s impact. This 3-minute trailer offers a taste of the 3.5-hour video series.

Five Decades — One Mission is a six-part video series celebrating the golden anniversary of the founding of the U.S. animal rights movement: the 1975 publication of Animal Liberation; and the 1975 World Vegetarian Congress in Orono, Maine. In 1981, the two groups coalesced at the Action for Life Conference in Allentown, Pennsylvania to formalize the U.S. animal rights movement.
The six videos (total running time 3.5 hours) begin with renowned philosopher Peter Singer and American Vegan Society’s president Freya Dinshah relating the history and impacts of Animal Liberation and the Vegetarian Congress. Other videos in the series recount how our movement’s early campaigns, conferences, magazines, and books that forged the actions of individual activists into a cohesive movement. The final two videos celebrate eight movement pioneers who are no longer with us and discuss our movement’s impact, accomplishments, and future prospects.
Interview highlights include:
  • Peter Singer sharing the remarkable path that led him to write Animal Liberation
  • Freya Dinshah and Victoria Moran recount the improbable creation of the World Congress
  • Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) founder Dr. Alex Hershaft reliving his harrowing slaughterhouse realization
  • PETA’s Alka Chandna describing daring Animal Liberation Front rescues
  • Paul Shapiro projecting our movement’s future with hope and confidence
  • … and much more
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE PLAYLIST
Peter Singer - Author of "Animal Liberation," which introduced animal rights to the American public
Freya Dinshah - Helped launch the ground-breaking 1975 World Vegetarian Congress in the U.S.
Victoria Moran - Founder Main Street Vegan Academy and author of "Main Street Vegan" and 13 other books
Dr. Alex Hershaft - Founder FARM, launched 30 vegetarian and animal rights conferences since 1976
Mary Finelli - Introduced the animal rights movement to the trillions of sea animals killed for food each year
Jim Mason - author of "Animal Factories" and "An Unnatural Order," co-founder of Animals' Agenda
Dr. Alka Chandna - Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Cases for PETA
Michael Budkie - Founder SAEN and early leader in the anti-vivisection movement
Paul Shapiro - Author of "Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World"
Martin Rowe - Founder Lantern Books and Executive Director Culture and Animals Foundation

What to expect:

Why Five Decades? – Singer, Dinshah, Hershaft, Moran, Mason, Chandna, Budkie, Shapiro, Finelli

Animal Liberation – Background, conception, and impact – Singer, Mason, Hershaft

World Vegetarian Congress – Background, conception, and impact – Dinshah, Hershaft, Moran

Early Campaigns – Cat blinding, cosmetic testing, Sea Shepherd, baby seals, Silver Spring Monkeys, Veal Ban Campaign – Singer, Chandna, Budkie, Hershaft, Finelli

Rallying Our Movement – Animal Rights National Conferences, Vegan Summerfest, Summit for the Animals, March on Washington, primate center rallies, Animals Agenda, more – Hershaft, Chandna, Mason, Moran

Celebrating Lost Pioneers – H Jay Dinshah, Henry Spira, Cleveland Amory, Tom Regan, Karen Davis, Elliot Katz, Shirley McGreal, John Robbins – Dinshah, Singer, Hershaft, Finelli, Budkie, Chandna, Moran

Progress and prospects – Hershaft, Singer, Shapiro, Chandna, Budkie, Finelli
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, celebrate, and be inspired—your support is vital to this historic occasion. All six videos in the series (total running time of 3.5 hours) are yours to watch all at once or at your leisure.
Need more? Click here for the 12-minute preview video.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SIX-VIDEO PLAYLIST

© 2026. All Rights Reserved. For media inquiries and information on how your company or organization can sponsor Five Decades – One Mission, please email [email protected]. Together we will end the use of animals for food.