Our Founder

A Message From Our Founder

Since becoming a humane educator 15 years ago, I have dedicated my work to exploring the relationship between animal oppression and racism.   Growing up as a young Black girl, I began to learn more and more about how beyond human animals are harmed, and I felt a strong connection to my own struggles with racism as a Black woman.

So, when I discovered humane education through the Institute for Humane Education’s (IHE) graduate program, I began to draw deeper connections between the patterns of harm experienced by Black people and the harm inflicted upon beyond human animals.  Some scholars and advocates point out that the constructs of “race” and “animal” are intertwined, and that both Black people and beyond human animals share a subhuman/nonhuman category.  This category is too often used to justify violence and deprivation against both Black people and fellow animals, and the subjugation of one reinforces the subjugation of the other.  

For me, this framing of the relationship between race and the animal resonates with my own lived experience and offers valuable insight for how educators and advocates might teach and act for justice and liberation of all beings.  As a result in recent years, I’ve led educational programs, given talks, and written essays to raise awareness about this relationship and why it is important for developing effective advocacy on behalf of fellow animals and people.  In 2019, I developed a course as part of IHE’s graduate program called Race, Intersectionality, and Veganism to allow students to more deeply explore interconnected injustices within the U.S. food system and beyond.       

Thanks to the support of many friends and colleagues, and several funders, I’ve had the privilege to begin developing LIberate In Mind to bring my work to a larger audience of educators, advocates, and others interested in racial/social justice and animal protection.  Thank you for your interest.  I’m glad you’re here!