Help vegans understand how the digital media landscape operates; how to responsibly create, consume, and distribute content; how the top social media platforms operate within an animal rights framework; and how social media has been used effectively in other social and political campaigning of the 21st century.

This lecture investigates how and why animals have been exploited in the fashion industry, as examined in my book Fashion Animals. From the contemporary fight over fur to historic extinctions driven by fashion trends, I’ll explore the social, economic, and political contexts and the ecological and ethical implications of animals used in fashion, as well as the most exciting innovations in material technology.

The workshop will commence with a brief overview of the structure of political organizing and the psychology behind oppressive ideologies. We will then discuss how artists, activists, and community organizers can use art to effectively dismantle systems of oppression, especially speciesism. In particular, we will focus on art that has incited political action, community arts, successfully changed hearts and minds, and artists that have successfully installed political art within government institutions.

What have Brexit, general elections, and animal and extinction rebellions to do with animal rights? Is animal rights the duty of the individual or the responsibility of society? Is the animal rights movement a moral crusade or a social movement with a political agenda? Which one will achieve animal rights? These are the fundamental questions that Kim Stallwood will answer. He will argue that the animal rights movement must be simultaneously a moral crusade and a social movement, which pursues a strategy combining idealistic objectives of abolition with pragmatic goals embedding the values of animal rights into public policy. He will propose a new strategy for the animal rights movement that encompasses Brexit, politics, general elections, and animal and extinction rebellions.

How does ableism manifest and how can we make room for people with disabilities in our movement? The aim of this discussion is to explore the ways in which ableism creates a barrier to veganism and how people with disabilities and illnesses can be assets to veganism.

Live recording of the VGN podcast with guests Fat Gay Vegan and Joshua Katcher, featuring the weekly news roundup, interviews, and prizes

The VGN quiz will pair members of the audience with celebrity vegan partners to answer questions and win prizes provided by Green Bay London