October 13, 2021

Antiracism in Animal Advocacy with Aryenish Birdie

Racism and inequity have hampered efforts to improve the lives of non-human animals and created an animal movement that has often harmed marginalized groups. Can this ongoing history be undone? And how can mainstream animal advocacy become a movement by and for people of the global majority? In this talk, moderated by LEAP Faculty Co-Director Jonathan Lovvorn, Aryenish Birdie will explore these questions and discuss her organization’s new essay anthology, Antiracism in Animal Advocacy: Igniting Cultural Transformation.

Aryenish Birdie is the founder and executive director of Encompass, a nonprofit working to make the animal protection movement more racially diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Prior to Encompass, Aryenish spent seven years at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine promoting alternatives to animal tests. Aryenish received a degree from Hampshire College in critical social thought/race and feminist theory and her Master’s in Public Management from Johns Hopkins University.

This event is presented as part of the Law, Ethics & Animals Program’s speaker series, in collaboration with Yale Sustainable Food Program