A frustrated activist wrote to me in October that despite the dedicated work of United Poultry Concerns and other groups and individuals fighting for farmed animals, “The industry goes on as it always has.” She challenged me personally to answer this question:

WHAT DID YOU ACTUALLY ACHIEVE IN YOUR LIFELONG WORK TO HELP CHICKENS AND OTHER ANIMALS?

My response:

“What did I achieve? I founded a national nonprofit organization that has educated many people and led many to be more informatively and compassionately aware of chickens and turkeys than they had previously been. I/UPC have given animal activists confidence to keep fighting for animals. We have produced a solid body of work. We’re part of the great movement advancing the cause of veganism. We have rescued birds and given them a chance for happiness. Though far from complacent, I know that my work has not been in vain and that it is part of a large and difficult endeavor. Consider how many people have laid the groundwork for future social justice accomplishments who, when they were alive, had no idea their efforts would ever be remembered or usable or inspiring to future generations. This is the spirit that drives us; this is the company we keep. Only imagine how many people toiled anonymously for justice in order for a Rosa Parks and a Martin Luther King to rise to the surface. These certified heroes and their accomplishments did not come out of nowhere. So let us please keep being strong for the animals, our fellow activists, and the world we are working to achieve. Take a break when you need to, fellow activist, but don’t quit!” – Karen Davis, president of United Poultry Concerns