There are 2 upcoming events on opposite ends of the country that are absolutely worth a mention, and should be of interest to you even if you are smack somewhere in the middle and can’t possibly attend either one.
First, on Saturday, October 20, The Institute for Critical Animal Studies is putting on a program entitled “One Struggle: Intersectionality and Critical Animal Studies,” which will take place from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. in Berkeley. According to their website, “The conference will bring questions of the animal and animality in conversation with work from across academic fields and activism.” I love this field of study, in particular because inherent in Critical Animal Studies is activism! Changemaking! Getting off our butts and changing the world for animals! This is something that Maneesha Deckha eloquently discussed last year on our podcast.
Also from their website:
Topics addressed include: What is the relationship between nation, culture, race and species in the contemporary USA? How can we understand the entanglements of animality, sexuality, and race? Why should feminists question the nature of human-animal relationships? In what ways do posthumanist theories help us understand CAS paradigms? How are labor, race and species situated within our food system?
Meanwhile, for the New Yorkers among us (HELLO, FRIEND!), one of our favorite changemaking companies —  The Seed: A Vegan Experience — is putting on yet another mini-event, this one centering around doggies. Entitled “Vegan Dogs: The Truth About Fido’s Meatless Diet,” this unique program will go into detail about how and why to transition your perfect pup to a plant-based diet, answering questions for anyone who is curious about making this life-saving switch. Being held on October 23 at Soho’s Animal Haven, “Vegan Dogs” will be presented by a true expert in the field, veterinarian Dr. Lorelei Wakefield, a long-time vegan who has extensively researched the effects of vegan diets on pups.
From the press release:
Guests are encouraged to attend this event with socially comfortable canine companions. Availability is limited to approximately 30 attendees, so buy your tickets now at www.theseedexperience.com!
I am frequently sent announcements of upcoming happenings, and these two very different ones leapt out at me — both because of how relevant each discussion is, and because of how, despite that, these issues remain largely undiscussed (even among animal activists and vegans). Bringing to the fore issues of Critical Animal Studies, and more specifically, intersectionality, is crucial.
On another token, so are discussions of veganizing dogs! Our pit bull, Rose, is a (happy, healthy) vegan, so I know all too well how a dog can thrive on such a diet. Beyond that, whenever Mariann and I give a workshop on veganism or activism, I can pretty much guarantee that during the Q&A, the first or second question will be about how to veganize a dog. If only I could send all these people to The Seed’s upcoming workshop!
So though these two workshops are indeed radically separated in theme, they both have me extremely intrigued, and delighted that these discussions are happening. The best part is that these events are entirely replicable, so what better time to further explore that event planning streak you know you’ve got, and put together a similar event in your community.
Our Rose.