Our Collective Values

We are committed to community care, understanding that our collective well-being depends on supporting and uplifting one another. 

We stand in unity and solidarity with those who face systemic challenges, striving to understand and address the root causes of inequality. Solidarity means more than just standing by others; it involves actively working together to dismantle oppressive structures and build a more just society. We are united in our efforts to create positive change and empower marginalized voices.

Our approach is nurturing, healing, and repair-driven, focused on addressing harm, fostering growth, and creating environments where transformation is prioritized. We strive for a community where everyone can thrive and not just survive, continuously working to improve quality of life for all.

We also embrace the value of yielding—recognizing when to step back, listen, and make space for others to lead. By taking this step back, we allow for new perspectives, ideas, and leadership to emerge, ensuring that our efforts are inclusive and forward-thinking.

We practice critical consciousness of systemic inequities and power dynamics by integrating integrity into our actions through thoughtfulness, trust, honesty, and transparency. We embrace discomfort as a catalyst for growth, encouraging open and constructive dialogue to address intergroup inequities. Our commitment to a growth mindset fosters a culture that values continuous learning, feedback, and experimentation. We prioritize the needs and voices of the most affected, ensuring that our responsibility to address harm and advocate for justice drives our values and practices and bring about accountability and change via reparations and acknowledging harmful cultures.

We are committed to uplifting and amplifying BIPOC in the animal well-being space. First and foremost, our efforts and initiatives are guided by the needs and aspirations of our members. By prioritizing member-driven actions, we ensure that our endeavors are meaningful and impactful. We believe in the power of co-creation and collaboration. We work together to achieve more and drive positive outcomes. We recognize that our success as a community is interdependent on each other. We value and leverage our interconnectedness to build a stronger, more resilient community where we all benefit from shared achievements.

We intentionally work to dismantle existing boundaries and conventions, creating a revolution where radical and positive change can flourish. Additionally, we champion an environment where BIPOC individuals of all backgrounds are valued and included. Our aim is to foster a culture where all individuals experience a sense of belonging and have the opportunity to thrive. The Collective is dedicated to the growth and development of individuals within our community. Through mentorship, support, and active sponsorship, we help our members advance in their personal and professional journeys.

Finally, we operate from a mindset of abundance, rather than scarcity, and continuously orient towards possibility. We approach every challenge with an open mind and a belief in endless possibilities. By focusing on what can be achieved rather than what is lacking, we drive forward with optimism and resourcefulness.

We are advancing racial equity through a lens of intersectionality and actively working to dismantle white supremacy culture which includes capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and all other forms of supremacy. Racial equity cannot be achieved in isolation from other forms of systemic oppression, and thus we are dedicated to understanding and addressing the complex ways in which race intersects with other identities such as gender, class, sexuality, and ability. We challenge and deconstruct white supremacy culture within our organization and beyond. We hold ourselves and our partners accountable through transparent communication, continuous learning, and the willingness to adapt and grow in our approach to racial equity. We listen to, and amplify, the voices of those most affected, tailoring our strategies to center the diverse experiences within our communities. By leading with racial equity we will repair the harms caused by mainstream animal welfare and co-create a more just and equitable existence to set the industry standard.

We envision a world where justice and equity extend to all beings for current and future generations. We are committed to creating a society that values and actively supports marginalized communities, including immigrants, refugees, LGBTQ individuals, and people with disabilities, recognizing that social justice is deeply interconnected with animal welfare, as the well-being of our planet and its inhabitants is inseparable from the fight for environmental, disability, interspecies, and healing justice. Justice is about finding solutions where the rights of the most vulnerable are not taken away for the rights of others, assuming solutions need to work for all beings and be based on ethical, diverse, and inclusionary community of care approaches.