Racial Equity and Animal Law

Racial, economic, and environmental justice are often viewed as tangential rather than an essential part of a sustainable animal advocacy movement. This discussion provided a basic overview of how these issues are critically connected and interdependent. An emphasis was placed on the human and animal well-being movement as it applies to humans and companion animals. However, the themes covered could easily extend to many other areas of animal advocacy. Speaker Akisha Townsend Eaton is an attorney, scholar, and community activist who has worked in the field of animal law and advocacy since 2009 in a variety of capacities at various national and international organizations. She currently serves as Chief of Policy, Environmental Justice Division for Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity (CARE). She is also a committee chair for her local NAACP and is an active leader in the Black Appalachian Coalition.