[Keynote] Radical Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Animal Advocacy

A Harper Follow

(Video Recording Credit: Shepard AV)

May 14, 2018 I gave the opening session keynote talk for the Animal Care Expo event in Kansas City MO. There were about 1400 in attendance. This was hosted by Humane Society of U.S. . I was told that I had been the first keynote lecturer who was non-white and the first to tackle the "taboo" subject of diversity, inclusivity, and equity. I also came at it from the black radical tradition . That means I presented how to think about animal advocacy within workplace culture and how it can (or cannot) be "inclusive" when we think about how anti-Blackness, white supremacy, and and consequences of ante-bellum slavery inform and influence consciousness/praxis--- even in animal advocacy related sectors, such as dog rescue, vegan food companies, and being a Black veterinarian.

It was a challenging talk to give because these topics never really entered that space (so I was told). I ended up inspiring a lot but I also ended up angering a lot of people who walked out before I finished, upset that I was even talking about animal care and advocacy within the context of systemic racism, anti-Blackness, and living in a white settler nation (USA). Also, when I talk about these subjects, I usually have 3-4 hours and had to compact it into 1 hour-- and for a professional audience that is not necessarily used to these type of topics in the way that my primary audience is (which are usually institutions of higher learning or folk who are used to concepts like intersectionality or really seek solutions to addressing racial inequities within their work place, scholarship, etc).

I wrote/performed a new story I had specifically written for this talk in order to link that narrative to the concepts I introduced people to. Sometimes it is hard to understand critical theory or definitions around diversity, equity, inequity, exclusion, and inclusion when there are no tangible examples of how those concepts operate. This is "Lucy's Family" and I will develop it into a novel and/or develop it into a longer piece that will be integrated into my latest book Black. Mama. Scholar.

I got a lot of positive responses, after the talk, that this was a much needed conversation. I also heard negative comments, ranging from the talk being "too academic" to "the story was too long", to having "nothing to do with animal care". So, I'll see what I can do to make my message even better... However, I'm not sure how to address those who were simply angry that I was talking about white supremacy, racism, and anti-blackness within animal advocacy. I don't think there is a solution for that, no matter how "gentle" I talk about it, present it, etc.

**CORRECTION** In the talk I say that Petaluma is in Marin county but this is incorrect. It is in Sonoma County. My apologies.

**I had power points with quotes and other info, which makes the presentation easier to follow. The video recorders weren't able to show that. I quoted from Edward Hubbard PhD and other folk when defining things and you can't tell by seeing the video.