Relatively New

[Anastasia Yarbrough]

I never actually introduced myself to AR Zone. Hi, I'm Anastasia. I've posted a few things to the blog and forum already. I joined AR Zone because my close friend said that I would get the deep and thoughtful discussion of animal rights that I crave.  A little background on where I'm coming from: I've been active in animal rights initiatives since I was at least 10 and a vegan since I was 19. Over time, I've gained a very holistic, dynamic view of social and ecological reality, and I am very fortunate to have such a unique perspective and my social position as a black woman from a low-income inner city southern community. I think a lot about animals, about the African diaspora (primarily here in the states), about ecological community, about life's intelligence and sentience, about story and music and values and harmony. I am very sensitive to systemic oppression and how processes work to connect the oppression of many groups. I am also very attentive to privilege and power and tend to make it visible with courage and compassion wherever I am on a regular basis.  My work with animals, in my short life so far, has been in field studies--learning about avian cultural ecologies and communication systems, rescues of abused dogs and cats and injured or orphaned wildlife, caregiving for animals in shelter and in sanctuary, and essays and articles on direct accounts of animals' lives. Currently, I'm involved with green jobs training and placement for low-income communities of color, and it has been greatly influencing my work for animals. I got a lot going on, so if you want to learn more about what I'm doing now, where I'm coming from, or just want to have a thoughtful or inspiring conversation, I'm available!

Peace, y'all

Anastasia

P.S. Feel free to check out my blog Animal Visions: http://animalvisions.wordpress.com

[Kath Worsfold]

Hi Anastasia! I'm fairly new here too. I live in New Zealand, have been vegan for about 18 months, and am just beginning to tap into places/people/events/organisations where I can get involved in animal advocacy and animal rights.

I have been reading your blog, and the two articles on Farmed Animal Sanctuaries meeting Social Enterprise are very interesting and thought-provoking. I will chew all those ideas over in my mind before commenting further. I was just at a sanctuary yesterday, helping out, and the owner is trying to think of ways to increase the funds coming in - as you say, a sanctuary is a money sink.

Looking forward to interacting with you here on ARZone, Anastasia.