A Message From Ingrid E. Newkirk

Just before founding PETA 25 years ago, I was named "Washingtonian of the Year" for my work at the District of Columbia Animal Shelter. I remember standing on the stage, expected to say a simple "thank you" and then sit down, but instead, I said to the audience, "I have come to realize that it isn't enough to give a dog a longer chain or to make sure the knife is sharp in the slaughterhouse. I now see what I have always known in my heart: Animals do not belong to us. They are other 'nations' who deserve to live in peace. We must stop eating and wearing them, experimenting on them, and using them for entertainment."

And so PETA was born, and our motto, "Animals are not ours ...," was born, too. We've come a long way in 25 years. In 1980, we had to mix soy milk powder and water, get our non-animal-tested shampoo by mail order, wear Chinese cotton slippers, and order a steamed vegetable plate when dining out. Today, grocery stores sell soy milk, more than 500 companies do not conduct tests on animals, pleather shoes can be found in every mall, cities are banning animal acts in entertainment, and there are fabulous vegan entrées in many restaurants. Laws and attitudes have changed, but we still have miles to go!

Please help us celebrate our first 25 years by making sure that what we have accomplished sticks like glue and that other changes come quickly. Our constituents—animals—need each of us to boldly use our voices, to live by our principles, and to be strong and outspoken, determined and unapologetic. As someone once said, "Let's not be space takers when we can be movers and shakers!"

For all animals,



Ingrid E. Newkirk
President