Episode 99: Interview with Lee Hall about vegan ethics, the history of the American vegan movement, self-rewilding, and being vegan in a non-vegan world

This week, I am pleased to present my second interview with the author and public speaker Lee Hall, who has been a vegan advocate since 1983. Lee is the author of On Their Own Terms: Animal Liberation for the 21st Century, the creator of the blog Vegan Place, and a writer for CounterPunch. Lee previously taught immigration and animal law at Rutgers University in New Jersey and now holds a Master of Laws in environmental law with a focus on climate change.

In this interview, Lee speaks about the history of the vegan movement in England and the United States. In particular, Lee highlights the significance of the annual Vegan Summerfest to the American vegan movement, as well as the abandonment of integrity by corporate animal advocacy groups such as PETA. We discuss the importance of viewing veganism as an ethic rather than just a diet, why Lee has decided to stop driving a car this year, and what it means to re-wild ourselves. Then Lee outlines how vegan menus are inclusive for everyone, gives advice for vegans who struggle during non-vegan holiday celebrations, and discusses how we can find hope even during difficult times.

This was an excellent discussion!

At the end of the episode, we'll hear the new version of the song "Vegan World" by Katie Veg.

You can listen to the episode above or download the MP3 file from Archive.org. This episode will be broadcast on CKCU 93.1 FM in two parts over the coming weeks, starting on Wednesday 25 October at 4:30 pm Eastern. The entire episode is also now available on CKCU's website.

Additional links:

• Lee Hall's article, "Self-Rewilding: Becoming a Committed Pedestrian"
• "Those Cute Lambs? Here's Who They Are, Without Us" by Lee Hall
  
• "Veganism Defined", written by Leslie Cross in 1951
• "Chapter 3: The Singer Model · Is It Really Animal Liberation?" (audio) by Lee Hall (also includes an image of Peter Singer's 2005 letter to Whole Foods)
• "Chapter 11: From Food to Friends? Troubles With Cuteness and Meme-Sharing" (audio) by Lee Hall

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Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to advocate for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!