The Humane Party launched on Earth Day (April 22), 2009, as the U.S.’s first political party committed to the rights of all animals, not just the human kind. As the HP approaches its 17th birthday, the opportunity arises to pause and reflect on some milestones passed along the way. 

10th Anniversaries

Civil Rights Day

In April, 2016, the Humane Party declared April 9th to be annually celebrated as Civil Rights Day, both “(i) to commemorate previous civil rights victories and (ii) to promote additional legislation and action to secure the civil rights of all persons”. The date of the first celebration was chosen to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. 

Passed just months after ratification of the 13th Amendment, the text of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 can be regarded as an immediate precursor to that of the 14th and 15th Amendments, which would be enacted in the years to come. The continuing relevance and importance of Civil Rights Day has been underscored by recent attacks on civil rights in the U.S. and elsewhere.

“Violence is Not Entertainment” Act

The initial parameters of the “Violence Is Not Entertainment” (VINE) Act, a proposed modernization of U.S. intellectual property law, were published in January, 2016. Upon enactment, the Act will eliminate the possibility of animal abusers establishing, maintaining, or enforcing intellectual property (“IP”) rights in material that includes abuse of a live animal.

While the VINE Act pertains specifically to trademark and copyright law, the Humane Party platform separately provides (§8) a related commitment with respect to patent law.

Abolition Amendment

Throughout the year of 2016, the Humane Party published successive drafts of the Abolition Amendment, each draft being subjected to a 30-day public-comment period. The initial draft had been published on Christmas Day, December 25, 2015. The fifth draft, which closely resembled the final draft, was published on October 21, 2016. The final draft was published on Abolition Day, December 6th, 2016, as well as a series of promotional images by vegan artist Chris Censullo featuring the full English-language text of the Abolition Amendment, as well as Français, Italiano, Español, Português, Deutsch, Українська мова, русский язык, and 한국어. Vegan Nation radio featured a series of interviews (part 1 and part 2) discussing the Abolition Amendment in detail in December, 2016, as well as a reading of the full text of the Abolition Amendment by vegan artist Gretchen Ryan.

Upon ratification, the Abolition Amendment will abolish the property status of and grant legal personhood to all animals under U.S. jurisdiction, thereby bringing an immediate end to the meat, dairy, egg, poultry, fish, leather, fur, vivisection, rodeo, and other violence- and exploitation-based industries. The text also eliminates the exception in the 13th Amendment for slavery or involuntary servitude for humans as punishment, a movement which has now been successfully undertaken in several U.S. states.

Economic Transition Team

Originally launched shortly after the HP itself 2009, the Economic Transition Team was tasked with the business, economic, scientific, and technological research and development necessary to enable a nationwide transition to a post-abolition economy. The original effort did not get off the ground, but in 2016, the Economic Transition Team relaunched with great success due to the efforts of James Videle, Jorge Sigler, Amanda Gray, Catherine Perry, and others.

Presidential Election

On November 8, 2016, Clifton Roberts, candidate for President of the United States, and Breeze Harper, candidate for Vice President of the United States, stood as the Humane Party’s first ticket in a Presidential election. While the Roberts-Harper campaign was not victorious, this campaign represented a turning point for the animal rights movement in the U.S. and paved the way for future abolitionist candidates and campaigns.

Humane Party Oath

The Humane Party Oath was originally formalized as a written document in 2011 and refined into its current form in 2016, which is required of all HP candidates, officers, and board members. The text of the 2016 version of the Oath enabled the HP to capture the concepts of its original three alternative names—Vegan Party, Abolition Party, and Humane Party—in a single document by expressly using all three terms.

Humane Party Platform

The Humane Party’s 2016-17 platform (English and Español) was published on Earth Day (April 22), 2016, which was also the Humane Party’s 7th Birthday. 

Visual Design Principles Guide

The HP published the first version of the Visual Design Principles Guide in January, 2016, to assure that HP images would be consonant with the organization’s values.

15th Anniversaries

The Humane Herald

The Humane Party launched The Humane Herald in spring, 2011.

WorldFest, Animal Rights National Conference, and Voter-Registration Drive

After more than two years of building the team primarily through word of mouth, the Humane Party made its first conference appearance in 2011 with a booth at WorldFest in Los Angeles, California. Soon thereafter, the HP also hosted a booth at the National Animal Rights Conference in Los Angeles.

Through these events, the Humane Party gained its first officially registered voters, ringing the “Liberty Bell for Animals” each time a new HP voter registered.

Editorial Cartoons

The Humane Herald published its first political cartoons in 2011, including “Welcome, Friends” by Laine Geiser (color version) and “Being Property Sucks” by Jim Bertram.

Looking Ahead

Earth Day and the Humane Party’s birthday provide a moment to reflect on the many activist achievements that have already been accomplished, to appreciate how far we’ve come. People who would like to help build upon these milestones are invited to contact the Humane Party and indicate your interest.