Yesterday (Oct. 1) was World Vegetarian Day, an day founded by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977.
Above is vegetarian activist and comedian Dick Gregory (center) and founder of the American Vegan Society (1960) and the NAVS (1974) H. Jay Dinshah (right). They're seen here at the 23rd International Vegetarian Union World Vegetarian Congress in 1975 presenting a check for $727 - the proceeds from famine-relief fund-raising activities during the Congress - to Brian Gunn-King of the IVU; the funds were then forwarded by IVU to Vegfam, the British Isles based vegetarian famine-relief and food development organization. In Vegetarian America: A History, Karen Iacobbo and Michael Iacobbo write:
The year 1975 was an important year for vegetarian advocacy. With the formation of the NAVS the stage was set for the 23rd World Vegetarian Congress held in the late summer at Orono, Maine. The event marked the first time that the International Vegetarian Union held its congress on American soil. Arguably it was the most important gathering of vegetarians in the United States in the twentieth century.
The congress featured speakers from Colombia, India, Japan, Peru, and Venezuela, as well as North America, Europe and Australia. Unfortunately, people like Dick Gregory and Jay Dinshah are left out or downplayed in the whitening of vegetarian/vegan history.
