We reject the speciesism that enables the mass torture and killing of nonhuman animals and the blatant disregard for their home - our planet - as well as the unjust and oppressive institutions and ideologies that harm all animals including humans.
Using our roadmap as a guide, we will work to enshrine an Animal Bill of Rights.
“DxE shows what it looks like to take animal rights seriously, demonstrating the true moral commitment and self-sacrifice that has always been required in social justice movements.”
- Carter Dillard, attorney
- Mobilized thousands to take action in hundreds of cities worldwide
- Rescued hundreds of animals from slaughterhouses, laboratories and other places of violence
- Defended the Right to Rescue in court by securing multiple not guilty verdicts in high-profile rescue trials
- Passed groundbreaking legislation, like the fur ban in Berkeley and San Francisco that led to California banning fur statewide
- Reached tens of millions, via coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Intercept and more
- Opened the first community center for animal rights in the US: the Berkeley Animal Rights Center
- Founded the Animal Liberation Conference, a life-changing, week-long, annual event where activists connect, train and take bold action for animals together
- In 2022, our campaign for a statewide moratorium on factory farms and slaughterhouses became an official bill in the California State Assembly: AB 2764
- In 2023, we helped lead the effort to qualify a factory farm ban ballot measure in Berkeley, which passed in November 2024 with 60% of the vote, making Berkeley for the first U.S. city to ban factory farms
- See our highlights from 2023 in our 2023 annual report
We directly challenge systems of oppression with the power of nonviolence.
We have empathy for the individuals caught up in violent systems, seeking to bring them to the side of justice.
We accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause. Even when tested, we respond nonviolently with our actions and words.
We foster inclusive communities that empower, support, and build up fellow activists. It is everyone’s responsibility to create a welcoming environment and treat each person in our communities with respect. We don't gossip and we assume good faith.
We hold each other accountable and help each other grow by calling each other in, not out, only resorting to public statements about individuals when necessary for community safety and transparency.
Our community is the foundation on which the movement will grow.We encourage ordinary people to become the best activists they can be through training, mentorship, support, and opportunity.
We draw on the best available evidence, from academia and beyond, to inform our activism.
We seek diverse perspectives and also look outside the animal rights movement for lessons and inspiration.
We measure and react. We’re willing to innovate, experiment, take calculated risks, and fail; and we’re eager to adapt and shift course based on outcomes.
We create power for the movement by empowering the people around us.
Our leadership team is first in line when a sacrifice is necessary.
Ultimately, we are all serving animals and the movement.
Our actions reflect the seriousness and urgency of our cause. Animal rights is a social justice movement, not a hobby.
We set clear goals and metrics and develop plans to achieve them.
We are dependable, hold each other accountable, and get things done on time and to the best of our ability.
We seek feedback, commit to continuous learning, and respond to criticism with humility and grace.
We believe in the duty to disagree, but we maintain compassion even when we disagree.
We are radically candid.
We put the majority of donations toward campaigns and the people who bring them to life.
Be part of DxE’s growing community of animal rights activists and stay up-to-date on news, events, and action alerts!
