ABSTRACT
In this chapter I will argue that for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color within the West and particularly North America, the construction of their racial identity has historically been and continues to be tied to the Eurocentric construction of the animal as other. I will demonstrate how in the logic of colonization, the exploitation of people of color and more-than-human animals is rooted in a false binary between humanity and society. I will then explain the role Christianity has played in morally justifying the dehumanization and exploitation of other than human nature and animals. I conclude the chapter by describing ways that human beings can de-link from this false hierarchical binary by focusing on the subjective experience of each marginalized group, and I offer a vision of solidarity between anti-racist and animal rights activists that builds upon Martin Luther King, Jr.’s notion of the beloved community.
