Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation APEX Advocacy with Christopher Soul Eubanks
Christopher “Soul” Eubanks is an unstoppable force, and we’re thrilled to welcome him back to the podcast this week to discuss his new nonprofit, APEX Advocacy. The organization is committed to increasing the number of activists from the global majority. Christopher describes the three central missions driving APEX Advocacy: the Black Vegan Everything website highlighting Black-owned businesses, the Global Majority Caucus committed to building greater equity in the animal protection movement, and the No Backyard Slaughter campaign fighting the presence of slaughterhouses in low-income BIPOC communities. Christopher also shares why people of color often feel an atmosphere of white-centricity in the animal rights movement and therefore don’t feel welcome.
*We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read Mariann’s interview with Christopher Eubanks.*
Christopher “Soul” Eubanks is a social justice advocate, creative, and public speaker raised in Atlanta, GA who has dedicated himself to advocacy work that combats all forms of injustice. After learning the horrors of animal exploitation, Christopher became vegan, began doing community organizing, and has helped co-organize Atlanta’s first-ever animal rights march. Christopher is the founder of APEX Advocacy, a non-profit animal rights organization that uses digital content and grassroots activism to help communities of color defend themselves against animal industries and fight for collective liberation.
“There are a variety of oppressions that impact not only the animals, but those of us that are fighting for the animals, and we can’t ignore those systems of oppression.” – Soul Eubanks
Highlights for Episode 657:
- Where the name APEX Advocacy came from, and how the acronym highlights their central purpose
- How Soul and APEX Advocacy are collaborating with the local community in Lithonia, GA to create a pressure campaign that will force the county to take action against an illegal slaughterhouse
- The enormous social impact of unregulated slaughterhouses on low-income, mainly BIPOC, communities
- Soul discusses how APEX will continue the Global Majority Caucus for animal advocates first established by Encompass
- How Pitch Day works as an opportunity for advocates of color to present their ideas for new initiatives on animal advocacy and present them to donors and funders
- Many of the campaigners for APEX are not vegan, and Soul shares why it’s critical for him to ensure that the community feels invited and make people understand that they can fight for the same goals despite that
- How Soul sees leadership in animal advocacy coming from countries of the global south and some of the connections he has made with activists in other countries
- Some of the most important trends in black veganism, including the importance to Soul of developing the Black Vegan Everything website to showcase that the true essence and the ethics of veganism are widespread throughout Black communities
- Why Soul is cautiously optimistic about the possibility of achieving the enormous social change we need to change the lives and futures of animals
Resources:
- Actor Joaquin Phoenix weighs in on Asha Sanctuary cattle controversy
- How Cracker Barrel’s Impossible sausage drama sheds light on bigger food system issues
- Cracker Barrel faces blowback after adding Impossible sausage to menu
- The Smell of Money
- Vegan Africa Fund
- Faunalytics
Connect with Soul Eubanks:
- APEX Advocacy Website
- Black Vegan Everything Website
- Soul Eubanks on Twitter
- Soul Eubanks on Instagram
- Soul Eubanks on tiktok
Connect with Our Hen House:
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Don’t forget to check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.
The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.
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This episode is brought to you in part by Faunalytics. Faunalytics’ mission is to empower animal advocates with access to research, analysis, strategies, and messages that maximize their effectiveness to reduce animal suffering. Animals need you, and you need data. We conduct essential research, maintain an online research library, and directly support advocates and organizations in their work to save lives. The range of data we offer helps our movement understand how people think about and respond to advocacy, providing advocates with the best strategies to inspire change for animals.
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This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org.