I’ve always preferred the company of animals.
And while I deeply value human community, the nonhuman world has always seemed more familiar to me. I’m the type of person who gets energy from ideas, escapes through books, and believes daydreaming is a powerful act of liberation.
It was while I was daydreaming one day that I scrolled past a video on social media about fur farming. And it hit me.
If animals suffer like this behind closed doors for clothing, I wonder what’s going on behind closed doors for my “food”.
That wasn’t the day I became a passionate animal advocate, but the seed was planted and it began to grow as I looked more into the systems that created and upheld nonhuman animal exploitation. Eventually, the decision became crystal clear - I needed to remove myself to the best of my ability from the harmful systems I had been unconsciously participating in.
Maybe you remember the first seed that someone or something planted inside of you that made you question your relationship with nonhumans. Perhaps it was while watching a documentary on food justice or climate change and feeling a sense of urgency drape over your body. Perhaps it was falling in love with a cow at a sanctuary for farmed animals and vowing not to harm them anymore. Whatever planted that seed, yours, like mine, began to grow until doing something about it became more important than what other people thought.
So, here we are, two daydreaming kindred spirits wondering how we can make our dreams of a kinder future a reality for the next generations. It is my greatest hope here at Our Kith + Kin you will find water for your planted seeds – inspiration for deepening your and your children’s relationship to the nonhuman beings we share Earth with, nourishment to help you feel supported and understood, and sunshine to brighten the tougher parts of the journey.
I believe that white supremacy is the foundational structure from which all current systems of oppression have been built. I believe that tackling the logic of hierarchy and domination rooted in white supremacy is how we will liberate ourselves from these systems. However, I understand that for communities currently being marginalized by white supremacist social structures like capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, ableism and others, the ability to do this can be unjustly difficult. I also understand that people come to this work with vastly different backgrounds, capabilities, and ways of knowing, understanding, and being in good relations with nonhumans. As a human and a business owner, I stand unequivocally against any system, practice, or belief that seeks to oppress and cause harm. You can read more about the values and intentions Our Kith + Kin takes in this regard here.
Here are some places to go next or keep scrolling if you want more of my story.
I want to create a kinder future where all beings are free, but just don’t know where to start.
I Want to Learn More
I’m committed to animal liberation and have made some pretty big changes, but I’m feeling a bit burnt out.
I Need Support
I feel supported and know liberation is a daily practice, but I want to become a better advocate.
I Am Wondering What’s Next
My Story
I had the idea for this business in the summer of 2019. I was working at home as a mom of a four-month old and waking up every morning physically exhausted, but creatively electrified and not sure how to put that energy into action since my hands were full and my time was so limited.
Sitting with the questions of how I could transform some of the heartbreak I had experienced in animal advocacy work into lessons that could offer paths forward, I found the answers in my infant son. What kind of world did I want for him? What kind of advocacy space(s) did I want him to grow up in? I made a commitment that I was going to let joy be my compass throughout the process of raising an ethically conscious kid and contribute to movement that was based in love and care rather than burn out and competition.
So, on my daily stroller walks I began listening to creative podcasts hosted by visionary thinkers, healers, strategists, organizers, and facilitators, many of them parents and caregivers like me. I also came across a lot of creators who were making learning resources to help children feel a deeper connection to Earth, but discovered that few were being made from a liberation-oriented lens. That was the point at which I knew I wanted to create learning resources for people like me: people communicating with children for liberation who have a hard time finding compassionate, accessible, safe learning tools that engage children and their caregivers in anti-speciesist thinking and foster empathy for animals through positive message strategies.
So now, I create learning resources for wonderful visionaries like you. We know the road to liberation is a long one, but we can create moments of liberation by living into new stories right where we are - right now. My resources give you space to do this and serve as educational tools for children and their caregivers to deepen, reimagine, and heal their relationship with nonhuman beings. What we are doing when we recognize nonhumans as beings is acknowledging them as individuals with their own lived realities and purposes, existing not for or in opposition to humans, but as their own unique phenomenon. We are envisioning, creating, practicing and celebrating the world we want our children to live in. Having these moments gives us the strength to keep working for it. I hope you’ll join me.