On September 9th 2011, Canisius College’s Institute for the Study of Human-Animal Relations (ISHAR) hosted “The Use of Primates in Biomedical Research: A Personal Perspective” at the Montante Cultural Center featuring guest speaker Dr. James Ha, head of the primate breeding program at the Washington National Primate Research Center (WNPRC) in the University of Washington (UW). It was here and then, where animal rights activist and student, Morgan Jamie Dunbar, was combatively arrested and detained after raising questions during the evening’s Q&A segment about the USDA-documented mistreatment of primates at UW during his tenure at that institution.

Interestingly, this speaking engagement, which was organized at the behest of Dr. Michael Noonan, Director of Canisius’ Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation (ABEC) Bachelors program and the event’s moderator, was billed to the student body as a “symposium.” However, with a presentation of only one viewpoint from one speaker, this speciously lopsided affair not only misrepresented itself by solely presenting Dr. James Ha’s position in favor of animal experimentation but also proceeded to suppress and censor opposing view points, as Dr. Ha repeatedly and recklessly referred to animal advocates as “domestic terrorists”, “crazy”, “wild”, and “violent.”

In a written exchange one month prior, Dunbar was promised by Noonan that the evening would present a balanced conversation that would encourage questions of the speaker, stating “My hope is that you will be part of the conversation that we have at the symposium. It is open to the public and we will welcome all points of view.”

With this in mind, Dunbar waited her turn to the microphone before raising questions regarding the fatal starvation of a stump-tailed macaque, 40 illegal primate surgeries, and the subsequent litany of USDA violations that ensued. However, before Dr. Ha could complete his response to the aforementioned points of interest, Noonan directly interrupted and intervened, Dunbar’s microphone was silenced, and she was quickly removed from the auditorium and slammed against a wall in an adjoining room, handcuffed, and told she was being arrested for “criminal trespassing in the 3^rd degree.”

Witnesses report that Dunbar’s questions were relevant and her conduct was in accordance with the symposium’s format.  Attendees watched on appalled and outraged.

In an official statement, Dunbar said “The conditions that allow for social injustice have always emerged as a result of society’s failure to recognize the rights of individuals or groups. When denial of such rights is tolerated or indeed encouraged, it is bound to fortify the bases for further repression and injustice. That is why we, as a community, must speak out in solidarity against the repression and severe violation of First Amendment Rights that occurred on September 9th.”

To voice your concerns on this matter, the following information has been provided below:

Dr. Terri Mangione- Dean of Students
(716) 888-2130
mangiont@canisius.edu

John J. Hurley- President
(716) 888-2100
hurleyj@canisius.edu

Erica Sammarco- Assistant to the President
(716) 888-8203
sammarce@canisius.edu

Dr. Michael Noonan- ABEC Director/ISHAR Director
(716) 888-2772
noonan@canisius.edu
Further Reading & Information:

The Griffin:
http://www.thegriffincanisius.com/news/student-activist-removed-forcefully-from-ishar-lecture-1.2594887?pagereq=1

Artvoice Weekly:
http://artvoice.com/issues/v10n37/week_in_review/monkey_business

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Here is a talk of Amie Breeze Harper presenting her new book Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak on Food, Identity, Health, and Society at AK Press Release. This talk concerns how her new book discusses racialization and white privilege in veganism and the animal rights movement. Check it out!

at AK Press Release.

Sistah Vegan AK Press Oakland, CA April 15 Part 1 from Sistah Vegan on Vimeo.

Sistah Vegan AK Press Oakland, CA April 15 2010 Part II from Sistah Vegan on Vimeo.

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The U.S. animal advocacy movement is truly growing. One can judge its complexity, maturity, and seriousness by the many important forums that are coming up in the near future. To add a note, each of the forums address a different issue of concern with a diversity of different speakers, rather than the same speakers, which would be the case ten years ago, speak over and over again. New and wonderful voices are being heard. In the multitude of activist based conference is the North American Conference for Critical Animal Studies a blend of activist-academic, but leaning more academic, geared for students and faculty in aiding the development and legitimizing of critical animal studies in higher education.

Animal Liberation Forum 2010 CSU-Long Beach, Long Beach CA April 15th – 18th

Animal Ethics Conference Utah Valley University, Provo UT March 29th – April 2nd

North American Conference for Critical Animal Studies SUNY Cortland, Syracuse NY, April 9th, 10th, and 11th

Let Live Conference Portland State University, Portland OR June 25th – 27th

Animal Rights National Conference 2010 Hilton Hotel, Alexandria, VA July 15th – 19th

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In January 2010, The Institute for Critical Animal Studies (ICAS) and The Vegan Police Radio, located in St. Catharines, Canada developed a partnership rooted in the tradition of Paulo Freire’s philosophy of dialoguing for liberation and freedom.

“[T]he more radical the person is, the more fully he or she enters into reality so that, knowing it better, he or she can transform it. This individual is not afraid to confront, to listen, to see the world unveiled. This person is not afraid to meet the people or to enter into a dialogue with them. This person does not consider himself or herself the proprietor of history or of all people, or the liberator of the oppressed; but he or she does commit himself or herself, within history, to fight at their side.”
— Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

“Leaders who do not act dialogically, but insist on imposing their decisions, do not organize the people–they manipulate them. They do not liberate, nor are they liberated: they oppress.”
— Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

The Vegan Police, facilitated by Dylan Powell and supported by Ryan Sexton and Crista Murphy directing the tech work, engage in radio dialogues that are organic and politically grounded with particular socio-political values. Their approach is unlike that of a typical interview, which may be useful to disseminate information (such as for an event, campaign or news) but lacks a critical pedagogy for all participants. The Vegan Police are based in critical theory and pedagogy rather than a detached apolitical process for production purposes.

Vegan Police Radio is a socio-political project grounded in radical politics and critical animal studies, i.e., for the liberation and freedom for animals and abolition of animal oppression and domination. They are not concerned with their rates or sponsors, but a mission for total liberation. Therefore, they reach out to a specific community who shares these goals.

In this collaboration, ICAS hopes to aid in the legitimizing of radio dialogues as a theoretical and methodological process.

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Anarchist Studies Initiative, SUNY Cortland Unveiling

a project of the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies (CGIS)
Moffett Center, Room 2125
April 9, 2010
SUNY Cortland, New York

The Anarchist Studies Initiative at SUNY Cortland is the first center dedicated to the study of anarchism in higher education. Anarchist Studies Initiative comes out of SUNY Cortland’s commitment to cutting edge innovative liberal arts and professional public education.

Click Here for the Flyer for the April 9, 2010 Anarchist Studies Initiative Unveiling___________________________________________________________

• 3:00 PM
  Welcoming and Introductory Remarks
  Facilitator: Caroline K. Kaltefleiter, Anarchist Studies Initiative, SUNY Cortland
  Mechthild E. Nagel, Director of Center for Intercultural and Gender Studies
  Mark J. Prus, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, SUNY Cortland

• 3:30 PM
  Unveiling of the Anarchist Studies Intiative and Tribute to Howard Zinn
  Facilitator: Anthony J. Nocella, II Anarchist Studies Initiative, SUNY Cortland
  1. Caroline K. Kaltefleiter, Anarchist Studies Initiative, SUNY Cortland
  2. Brice Smith, Anarchist Studies Initiative, SUNY Cortland
  3. Abbey Willis, Workers Solidarity Alliance
  Questions & Answers

• 4:30 PM
  2010 Lucy Parson Fellowship Announcement
  For Intersectional Interdisciplinary Studies and Activism
  Presenter: Judy K. C. Bentley, SUNY Cortland
  2010 Fellow: Liat Ben-Moshe, Syracuse University

  2010 Emma Goldman Fellowship Announcement
  For Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies and Activism
  Presenter: Mechthild E. Nagel, SUNY Cortland
  2010 Fellow: Deric Shannon, University of Connecticut

• 5:00 PM
  Book Talk: Contemporary Anarchist Studies:
  An Introductory Anthology of Anarchy in the Academy
  Facilitator: Colleen Kattau, SUNY Cortland
  1. Liat Ben-Moshe, Syracuse University
  2. Anthony J. Nocella, II SUNY, Cortland
  3. Deric Shannon, University of Connecticut
  4. Caroline K. Kaltefleiter, SUNY Cortland

• 6:00 PM
  Reception

• 6:30 PM
  Unveiling of the Sacco and Vanzetti Foundation
  Housed at the Anarchist Studies Initiative and a Project of the Transformative Studies Institute
  Facilitator: Ryan Clover, Silent City Distro
  1. John Asimakopoulos, City University of New York
  2. Ali Zaidi, SUNY Canton
  3. Herbert H. Haines, SUNY Cortland

• 7:30 PM
  Sacco and Vanzetti Film Showing
  Facilitator: Timothy Rodriguez, Student X

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The Journal for Critical Animal Studies (JCAS) seeks essays from women of color scholars and activists across a variety of disciplines and social justice initiatives to develop understandings on the issues of race, gender, and animality in critical animal studies.  Since the term “critical animal studies” was introduced by the Institute for Critical Animal Studies, there has been a void of people of color contributions to the new and developing field. Particularly absent have been the thoughts, concerns, and activism of women of color.  For critical animal studies to engage a holistic politics for total liberation, women of color must play a role in the field’s development.  The goals of this issue are (1) to vitalize the intellectual participation of women of color in critical animal studies, (2) to examine overlapping concerns that are central to critical animal studies, feminist theory, and critical race theory, and (3) to promote avenues of thought and ideas for action that can move us beyond pernicious forms of “othering” that undergird nonhuman and human animal suffering. 

Topics may include:

• addressing racism, sexism, and gender oppression in critical animal studies
• the role of white privilege in the animal rights movement
• domestication and the decolonization of mind and body
• semiotics of animality in racial discourse
• traditional ecological knowledge of animal relationships
• being an ally to nonhuman animals: animal activism from a woman of color’s perspective
• interlocking oppressions of animality, race, and gender
• racialization of the other
• invasive species and invasive races
• veganism, raw foods, and food justice
• the social construction of overpopulation and female reproductive control
• women of color ecofeminism and an ethic of care
• racism, sexism, and gender oppression in the animal rights movement
• addressing violence against women of color and nonhuman animals
• imperialism, colonialism, and the oppression of native peoples
• the future of critical animal studies for women of color
• the role of women of color in the total liberation movement

Papers Due: April 12, 2010 at 5pm EST

Visit http://www.criticalanimalstudies.org/?page_id=389 for submission guidelines (but forward all submissions for this issue to the contact below)

Send Papers to:

Anastasia Yarbrough

Institute for Critical Animal Studies

ayarbrou@ymail.com

www.criticalanimalstudies.org

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Healing Our Cuts
Anthony J. Nocella, II

Over the last 16 years, I have learned a lot from my involvement in a number of intense social movement based conflicts and from the field of conflict studies. Most of my knowledge is experience based, rather than what I have read or been trained. In this article, I share my thoughts on social movement conflicts and methods of managing and transforming them in a constructive process.

All social movements have divisional tensions, some more explicit and more entrenched than others. Where tensions encourage open debate and constructive dialogue, these interventions can be extremely constructive and empowering for the movement in question. However if simmering tensions are left unchecked and unresolved, these may well lead to openly destructive conflicts that not only severely compromise the impact and effective nature of the movement, but may ultimately lead to the implosion and terminal demise of the movement itself.

Social movements have always faced divisions and critical debate around a wide range of issues from underground activism vs. working within government structures to short-term goals vs. longer term goals, to the concept and nature of direct action.

Given the desire for strategies, tactics and processes which work to harness constructive and collaborative discussion and outcomes this short intervention has two goals. First, this article considers the many factors and causes of destructive behavior and, second, it highlights ways to actively transform conflict and re-unite social movements. This does not mean that activists will all conduct the same tactics or engage in the same strategies. This is vital if the movement is to ensure that its presence and impact is such that will make maximum and long-lasting positive change in the global community among all.

Causes of Conflict

• The uniquely constructed (and partial) system of ethics and values, beliefs, opinions, perceptions, experiences, and interests of every activist can be the primary cause of division between other activists within the same movements.
• The identity and social context of the activist (such as being transgender, a person with disabilities, non-citizen, parent, poor, or a person of color) are factors that must be considered as potential sources of conflicts because of being marginalized, silenced, and/or repressed.
• The cultural and sub-cultural processes for activists handling of conflict may cause divisions when dealing with conflicts. For example, an activist from an Italian family might be raised to handle conflict differently than an activist from a Native American family.
• The various relationships outside the movement, such as relationships with family and friends, romantic relationships, and organizational membership, are factors that may cause conflict.
• The comparative lack of education or experience on a particularly important topic can contribute to conflicts. If those involved are incapable or unwilling to understand, listen, or enter into a committed constructive dialogue — that which allows not only for understanding the attitudes and beliefs of other activists, but their own positionality – this factor is difficult to overcome.
• The emotional state or well being of an activist may cause conflict within a social movement. This state might be altered or influenced to the detriment of the activist’s capacity to engage with those around them because of alcohol, drugs, medication (or lack of it), sleep deprivation, or other external factors such as work or relationships.

Transforming Conflict

Within a social movement conflict must be transformed into positive and constructive outcomes wherever possible. Activists should strive to:

• Seek opportunities to engage openly, empathetic ally and respectfully with other activists. This means entering into a committed dialogue that emphasizes the willingness to listen and understand.
• Respect individual experiences due to unique identities of race, gender, economic status, sexuality, ability, culture, or spirituality.
• Recognize that activists are not perfect (or impartial) due to being raised within systems of domination that promote competition, retribution, sexism, homophobia, ableism, ageism, nationalism, classism.
• Acknowledge that corporations, security, and law enforcement infiltrate organizations and movements, in order to divide and destroy them.
• Refrain from “hanging the laundry” of the movement out for the broader public and law enforcement to see and exploit. This means not posting negative, defamatory and insulting information about those within the movement on websites, blogs, list serves, or social networking sites.
• Handle communication in person, whenever possible, rather than on the phone or via e-mail. Not only does this minimize the risk of communication being limited or tapped, it also prevents information being misread, misinterpreted, or taken out of context.
• Avoid personal debates that drain energy and resources which should be directed towards shared goals.
• Avoid talking about others behind their back when not in the position to defend or justify their point.
• Avoid supporting any scenario where someone is punished or excluded. Only support that which leads to mutually beneficial opportunity.
• Take a moment to step back and reflect rather than react negatively when faced with a provocation or challenge.
• Respect the diversity of opinions, tactics, and strategies within social movements.
• Encourage debates and arguments that can be resolved in a constructive and mutually acceptable manner.

These hopefully accessible, inclusive, and helpful points can, if followed, help minimize the opportunities for divisive and destructive conflicts to manifest themselves. In the long term these negative conflicts will destroy and divide the movement to the extent that it will lose all potency and dynamism, and ultimately will fall far short from achieving the ultimate goal. Conversely, being aware of the causes of conflict, and how to transform them – such as committing to resolve debates and arguments  in a constructive and inclusive manner – waters the soil on which a social movement grows and encourages others to join in, thereby developing and strengthening the movement.

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