Trayvon Martin and Young Wolf

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African Americans, masculinity, racism, speciesism, white privilege, whiteness

What do these individuals have in common?

One was a young black male human and the other a young male gray wolf.  Both of them were killed this year in February.  Both of them belonged to groups that have been historically “treated like animals” and are still today targeted through suspicion of acts of violence. 

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Afro-Animal: Our Shared Struggle

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African Americans, animal rights, black community, social justice

In 1906, black man went on a killing spree in Asheville, NC, killing six humans, some black, some white.  The city issued a two-day manhunt to find him.  When they finally found him, rather than put him to trial, the police lynched him on the spot.  He has since become an object of paranormal urban legend, with any memory of his race forgotten, save within the black community.

His name was William Harris.

Calling on the love for animals in the black community

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African Americans, animal abuse, animal activism, animal advocacy, animal cruelty, black violence, human-animal bond, human-animal relationships

I just received this through twitter: Memphis woman charged with aggravated animal cruelty.  Memphis is my home town, and the animal cruelty immediately caught my eye.  This is nothing new for Memphis.  In fact, some months ago, I wrote a post on a series of animal cruelty charges, majority in Memphis, all involving black men.  This time it’s a black woman. 

Violence against animals in the black community

Tags

African Americans, animal abuse, animal cruelty, animals as property, black folks, black violence, dog abuse, ethnic animal relations, pit bulls, Susie's Law, violence

Back in November 2009, a young black man was arrested in North Carolina for “maliciously” torturing a dog named Susie.  As a result, the state responded to this “animal cruelty” by making the current law “tougher.” That means, rather than receive probation for torturing and killing a dog or cat, you can receive up to ten months in jail, which from an animal welfare standpoint is a vast improvement.   The North Carolina house bill (otherwise known as Susie’s Law) is named after the puppy who was tortured almost to death.  The torturer, named LaShawn Whitehead of Greensboro, burned and beat her to near death.  Fortunately, she managed to survive but lost her ears in the process and suffers from psychological trauma.  Rather than receive jail time (like he certainly would for attempted murder if Susie was a human), he initially received probation until the new law was passed.  Now he’s another black man in jail.  This is because he pleaded guilty to “burning personal property and felony animal cruelty.”  Apparently, he was worried that the puppy would “jump on his newborn.”