Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

A Chronology Of Significant Events, Meetings, And Publications Concerning The Welfare Of Laboratory And Farm Animals, Andrew N. Rowan

Animal Welfare Collection

It is not readily appreciated, except for those of us who are deeply involved in the animal movement, how the debate on animal rights and animal exploitation has grown and spread over the past ten years. It may, therefore, be of some interest to readers to have a chronology of important events and publications from the past decade. The outline is not meant to be comprehensive and others would no doubt highlight different events, but it is hoped that it will prove to be of interest and of use. The philosophical, legislative and scientific aspects are dealt with separately for …

Conversation With Henry Spira: Draize Test Activist, Lynne Harriton

Interviews

No abstract provided.

The Vanguard (Vol. 28, No. 10), Dec 1981, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Divestment. Namibia. Haitian refugees.

Those are three of the topics acted upon by the Association of Black Lutherans (ABL) at its biennial conference in Fort Worth Texas.

The conference voted to support divestment from financial institutions and companies that continue to engage in business in South Africa. The 1980 LCA convention in Seattle rejected apartheid and all other forms of racial discrimination but did not ask for divestment. Instead it asked for criteria which would help determine whether total divestment or active shareholder objections were "most effective" strategies.

The Vanguard (Vol. 17 [27], No. 6), July 1980, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"My conviction is that if we want to be honest and ask where is God and his church in this pluralistic society, then we have to say the city is the major frontier for the church's mission today."

With those words, Dr. James Berquist, the new director of the American Lutheran Church's Division for Mission and America, addressed the 12th annual convention of the ALC's Conference on lnner City Ministries. More than 50 delegates from 11 regions had gathered in Milwaukee in mid-June for the four-day convention.

The Vanguard (Vol. 27, No. 7), Sep 1980, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Missouri Synod congregations should seek to sponsor Haitian refugees and expand their ministry with handicapped parishoners.

Those were just two of literally dozens of recommendations and resolutions passed at the third biennial convocation of black Missouri Synod congregations. Delegates and visitors from more than half of the synod's 200 black congregations participated in the four-day meeting in mid-July in Chicago.

The Vanguard (Vol. 17 [27], No. 4), May 1980, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

By only a one vote margin, in a secret ballot, the national board of American Lutheran Church Women (ALCW) declined to renew the contract of ALCW executive director, Julie Stine.

Most board members did not wish to have their names attributed to their comments. Stine is portrayed by some as "less traditional, more wholistic" in her view of women's role in the church. According to others, her feminism was threatening to some women and men in the church.

The Vanguard (Vol. 27, No. 2), Mar 1980, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Lutherans have been asked to conduct a series of 15 workshops for 750 employees of the city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The city government made this request because of the success of "Grace and Race" workshops sponsored by Lutherans in South Dakota over the past several years.

These "Grace and Race" workshops sought to help Lutherans overcome racism and sexism in their day-to-day relationships as well as in the larger context of social justice in American society. The presence of a large number of Indians in South Dakota gave special urgency to these workshops.

The Vanguard (Vol. 27, No. 9), Nov 1980, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"The bill does not call for a large increase in overall aid funding but rather stresses reforming and redirecting aid.''

Passage of such legislation is the ambitious aim of this year's Offering of Letters, sponsored again by Bread for the World, a Christian citizenship movement directed by Lutheran pastor Art Simon.

Entitled "Hunger and Global Security," the offering of letters (letters sent to elected officials) will encourage Congress to redirect U.S. foreign aid to poor nations committed to meeting "basic human needs" in their countries-rather than funding arms build-up or elaborate redevelopment schemes.

The Vanguard (Vol. 27, No. 8), Oct 1980, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"We have to be assertive, straight about our feelings, but we're not in a battle zone.''

That's how Joyce Peltzer described the new opportunities and the new openness for disabled persons in the church at the first National Consultation of Disabled Lutherans.

The late-August event in Kansas City, Missouri, was sponsored by the American Lutheran Church, where Peltzer is a program specialist in ministry with persons with handicapping conditions.

The Vanguard (Vol. 17 [27], No. 5), June 1980, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Turning back a proposal from its board of pensions, the executive council of the Lutheran Church in America has declined to settle the issue of health plan coverage of seriously handicapped children.

Earlier the LCA's Court of Adjudication had ruled that the handicapped adopted children could be excluded from the church body's Ministerial Health Benefits Plan only if all seriously handicapped persons were-spouses, natural children, the ministers themselves

The Vanguard (Vol. 27, No. 10), Dec 1980, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Susan Ruehle and Charles Ruehle were named directors of the Lutheran Human Relations Association of America (LHRAA) by the Association's board of directors at the board's special meeting, December 13, in Philadelphia.

Susan and Charles Ruehle were elected to the Association's top professional staff position after interviews with three candidates from among the almost 40 persons who applied for the job.

Sheep Mulesing And Animal Lib, Nancy Heneson

Animal Welfare Collection

The practice of mulesing sheep to prevent blowfly strike has recently come under fire from the Animal Liberation movement in Australia. Although it is only one of the many issues which Animal Lib has raised in its campaign to reform various sectors of the livestock industry, it is particularly illustrative of the kinds of conflicts in world view which arise when animal rights activists turn the spotlight on the farming establishment. Spokesmen for the livestock industries are quick to stress the emotional and sometimes sensational portrayal by Animal Libbers of time-honored animal management practices, as well as the sinister role …

Effective Strategies Of Social Protest, Henry Spira

Conference Presentations

On October 31 and November 1, 1979, The Anti-Cruelty Society hosted a conference on laboratory animal usage. It was a unique gathering that included not only humanitarians from near and far, but prominent members of the biomedical community as well.

Day Two of the conference (November 1, 1979) opened with a presentation by Henry Spira. The following is a condensed and edited summary.

The Vanguard (Vol. 27, No. 3), Apr 1980, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"It is a fact that the poor carry the greatest fiscal burden of inappropriate energy decisions."

This concern for the economically disadvantaged and the developing countries takes up a major section of a newly recently released statement, ''Nuclear Energy-Problems and Promises." The American Lutheran Church's Office of Research and Analysis is sending the study resource to its almost 5000 congregations ''to stimulate thinking, promote discussion, and motivate informed Christian response.''

The Meek Don’T Make It, Henry Spira

Commentaries and Editorials

Born 51 years ago in Antwerp, Belgium, Henry Spira ran away from home at 17 to join the Merchant Marine and took his first politics lesson in the National Maritime Union. After the Korean War he worked on a General Motors assembly line in New Jersey. "One thing you learned," Spira said, "is that the meek don't make it." In the late 1950s he first saw animal experiments in a laboratory while working his way through Brooklyn College. He joined the civil rights campaigns in the South and marched against the war in Vietnam, "from beginning to end." Henry Spira …

The Vanguard (Vol. 26, No. 10), Dec 1979, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

A national assembly to address women's concern and an inter-Lutheran commission on women will have to wait-or perhaps remain just a fond dream.

hat's because of action taken at the regular fall meeting of the church body presidents and top executives who govern the Lutheran Council in USA. The meeting indicated that a proposal from the standing committee of the Council's Division for Mission and ministry (DMM) represented "new work" that could not be pursued unless requested by the four church bodies in the Council.

The Vanguard (Vol. 26, No. 6), July 1979, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"We see no theological rationale for revising the church's traditional teaching that homosexual erotic behavior violates God's intent."

That comment is part of a 16-page draft statement, "Human Sexuality and Sexual Behavior," approved in mid-June by the American Lutheran Church's Standing Committee for the Office of Research and Analysis (ORA). The statment's one-page treatment of homosexuality is actually a revision of a draft statement adopted by the ORA's standing committee in March 1977.

The Vanguard (Vol. 26, No. 5), June 1979, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"No insurance company can write insurance on burning buildings and stay in business very long."

The burning buildings in this case are severely handicapped children, and the insurance company is the Lutheran Church in America's Board of Pensions.

Dr. Edwin Wang used this analogy to explain the LCA's decision, beginning in 1976, to deny health and pension plan coverage to children adopted by LCA professional church workers-if those children have pre-existing severe handicaps. Any severely handicapped person who wants to enter the ministry in the LCA would also be ineligible for health and pension coverage.

The Vanguard (Vol. 26, No. 4), May 1979, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Winter clobbered the midwest with heavy snow and high winds even though Spring was supposed to be here. Yet 65 people from all across Wisconsin traveled to Madison for the March 24 conference of Lutheran Human Relations Association-Wisconsin (LHRAA-Wisconsin).

They heard the state's immediate past governor, Martin Schreiber, describe how "tax laws work to the advantage of those with more money." He pointed out, however, that ever since 1911 Wisconsin has been a leader in progressive, more equitable tax policies.

The Vanguard (Vol. 26, No. 3), Apr 1979, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Richard Hatcher, mayor of Gary, Indiana, will be the speaker for the Saturday evening supper of the 1979 Human Relations Institute, July 27-29, at Valparaiso University.

Hatcher was one of the first black persons to be elected mayor of a major city. He is frequently mentioned for top posts in the Carter Administration but has chosen to fulfill his commitment to urban America as Gary's mayor.

The Vanguard (Vol. 26, No. 8), Oct 1979, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

In mid-September-coinciding with National Hispanic Week-church workers and lay people involved in Hispanic ministry met in Los Angeles for the Missouri Synod's second annual Hispanic conference.

The participants took advantage of their Southern California setting by hearing from one of the state's Representatives, Congressman Edward Roybal. They also visited the barrios and Lutheran congregations in the Los Angeles area.

The Vanguard (Vol. 26, No. 9), Nov 1979, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

More than eight million children in the U.S. have inadequate diets yet go to schools without breakfast programs. Half of those eligible for food stamps do not receive them. More than 25 million Americans exist on incomes lower than the poverty level (about $7000 for a family of four).

To demonstrate the needs of these hungry Americans, Bread for the World is targeting its 1979-80 "offering of letters" to encourage Congress to mandate a U.S. hunger survey. Bread for the World Director Arthur Simon feels the survey will benefit "the hidden poor who slip through the cracks between our various …

Correspondence, 1979: Office Of The Mayor, Jacksonville Florida, Jake Godbold

Saffy Collection - All Textual Materials

A letter on Office of the Mayor letterhead dated August 17, 1979, sent to Dr. Edna Saffy from Mayor Jake Godbold regarding enclosed photographs.

The Vanguard (Vol. 26, No. 1), Feb 1979, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Just when many had come to think Custer was the name of a state park and the spirit of Native Americans caught in tourist attractions, the dust began to stir on reservations. American Indians, seemingly divided by tribal distinctions and geographic distances, were unanimously calling the country to account for its outrageous dealings with Indians over the years.

South Dakota became a focal point, and it was there in 1971 that Indians helped Lutherans develop a unique ministry in a structure called the National Indian Lutheran Board (NILB). NILB and other Lutherans were to play a key role as the …

The Vanguard (Vol. 26, No. 7), Sep 1979, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

"The strength I see, the hope I have, is that we are here tonight."

With those words, LHRAA's immediate past president Robert Skare described how the 1979 Human Relations Institute was itself an embodiment of the weekend's theme-"People of Vision, People for Promise: developing Christian leadership for social justice in the 1980s."

The Vanguard (Vol. 26, No. 2), Mar 1979, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Fortunately, the annual conference of the National Indian Lutheran Board (NILB), was filled with exceptions. From Veronica Murdoch, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, and from other respected Native Americans, they heard the bad news:

Indians are still feeling the sharp sting of racism and injustice. Poverty and despair have left lasting wounds. And the church and government seem to persist in their apathetic and inadequate response.

The Vanguard (Vol. 25, No. 8), Oct 1978, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

In Iowa, elderly adults can now use food stamps to purchase meals in restaurants. This is especially helpful because many older persons have difficulty preparing their own meals.

This is just one of many innovations of Victor Preisser, Iowa's Commissioner for Social Services.

Preisser, who's created controversy by applying business management to the state's social services, was the speaker for the second annual state-wide meeting of the LHRAA State Council in Waverly, September 9.

The Vanguard (Vol. 25, No. 7), Sep 1978, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

Complete withdrawal of American Lutheran Church investments in firms with South African holdings was urged by the 10th annual national Conference on Inner City Ministry (CICM), June 15-18, in Minneapolis.

CICM's action came after presentations by the Rev. Mxolisi Ntlabati and the Rev. Joe Barndt. Pastor Ntlabati, exiled from his South African homeland, is currently serving Faith Memorial Lutheran Church in Detroit.

The Vanguard (Vol. 25, No. 3), Apr 1978, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

The board of directors of the Lutheran Human Relations Association of America (LHRAA), at its March 10-11 meeting, voted unanimously to endorse the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and to "express dismay over those 15 states that have failed to ratify the amendment."

The LHRAA staff also indicated they would explore ways to conduct LHRAA meetings in states that have ratified ERA.

The Vanguard (Vol. 25, No. 10), Dec 1978, Lutheran Human Relations Association Of America

The Vanguard

After 40 years of U.S. intervention and support of one of the most unjust and repressive dictatorship in Latin America, President Carter announced on Thursday, November 9, that he was suspending all economic aid to Nicaragua.

Terry Cannon, a New York journalist and I landed in Managua the following day. We had been sent by several organizations to investigate the situation since the bloody civil war, and arrived in the capital city in time to see President Anastasio Somoza's angry televised reply. He made it clear that he will neither resign nor hold a meaningful plebescite.