Mutual Aid, Mother's Day and mental health.

Freedom of Species

This show aired on Mother’s Day today in Australia and our discussion covers heavy topics such as violence, death and the genocide in Palestine. We recognise that trauma is widespread and that many listeners may have experienced traumatic events in their lives, and so mention these topics up front. Mother’s Day:We discuss issues of speciesism around animal mothers and talk about the story of Clarabelle the cow and her baby Valentine who are living together at Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary. https://edgarsmission.org.au/animal/clarabelle-and-valentine/Video story https://vimeo.com/415803158 Families for Palestine on Instagram carousel Honouring Palestinian Mothers https://www.instagram.com/familiesforpalestine/ 269 Liberation Animale: aims to raise awareness about the animal cause and to inform people about the non-necessity of living animals. It works to take into account the fundamental interests of sentient beings: the right to life, to liberty, to dignity. She is anti-speciesist and abolitionist, and organises street theater based on the reality of what humans do to other animals. Benefit compilation for (by Total Liberation Records) for 269 Liberation Animale, an activist collective targeting speciesist industries by blockading slaughterhouses, freeing animals and sabotaging places. We spoke about APEX Advocacy, an organisation founded by Christopher ‘Soul’ Eubanks focused on building a community of BIPOC animal rights advocates by empowering their activism and providing resources and support. APEX aims to increase the number of BIPOC individuals who participate in animal activism by advocating for collective liberation through animal rights, particularly in marginalized areas and communities that are disproportionately affected by the animal industrial complex.In order to effectively eradicate animal industries, we maintain that the grassroots animal advocacy movement must actively welcome and amplify BIPOC voices, build bridges with other movements and communities, and recognize the interconnectedness between various systems of oppression.We spoke about the recent blog published by APEX Advocacy called Complicity & Selective Compassion: Making Sense of the Animal Rights Movement's Silence on the Palestinian GenocideIn their blog, APEX Advocacy made a really impactful and important statement directed at the animal rights movement denouncing its acquiescence to genocide, its capitulation to the imperial donor class, and it’s selective ‘compassion’ which excludes Palestinians - an exclusion rooted in anti-blackness and white supremacy. Mutual Aid:Plant the Land Team Gaza is a vegan food justice and community projects volunteer team based in Gaza, co-founded by Anas Arafat, a Gazan humanitarian aid activist, and Laura Schleifer, a USAmerican vegan, Free Palestine solidarity activist and Total Liberation Campaign Director at the Institute for Critical Animal Studies. Plant the Land Team buys and distributes vegan food, plants food forests, and provides Gazan farmers with seeds and planting tools. Previous fundraising projects have also included providing plant-based insulin to children with diabetes, providing medical treatment, providing warm winter coats and blankets made from plant-based materials, and our yearly vegan food fundraiser for Ramadan. They are also currently in the midst of a campaign to construct a village water well. On a previous show we aired an interview with Laura Schleifer by Dr Leila Deghan here. Videos from Plant the Land https://www.youtube.com/@plantthelandteamgaza3395 Please, please share and support the fundraiser set up to get critical funds to Anas in Gaza if you can. Clean water, food, clothing and toys are desperately needed by displaced Palestinians. You can donate via the Muslim Giving fundraiser link here https://www.muslimgiving.org/GazasupportOr via Paypal here https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/93MMUSLZkP Mental Health resources:Dr Ash Nayate’s book Staying Positive in a F*cked up World is a wonderful resource. Follow Dr Ash here: https://www.facebook.com/thisisdrashOur show with Dr Ash from 2021 about navigating activist burnout is available here: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode-202104251300/navigating-activism-and-burnout-dr-ash-nayate Helpful article about vicarious trauma amidst the Palestinian catastrophe has many relatable points: https://muslimmirror.com/eng/war-on-gaza-coping-with-vicarious-trauma-amidst-the-palestinian-catastrophe/ Great resource overview from APAN - Australian Palestine Advocacy Network. Times are overwhelming, especially for individuals involved in activism for a Free Palestine, watching a genocide unfold while navigating the complexities of activism.A short guide to proactively create healthy patterns for ourselves and solidarity groups, with 8 steps to follow.https://www.facebook.com/AustraliaPalestineAdvocacyNetwork/ Music:We played two songs from the 269 Liberation Animale Benefit Compilation :A Plague: Long Dark Veins, and Tumultuous Ruin: Lamentation of this Nightmarish Realm.Our final song is by Macklemore called Hind’s Hall. The song's title was inspired by Hind Rajab — the six-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israeli military — and the name pro-Palestine student protesters at Columbia University gave to a building on their campus, Hamilton Hall, as they waved Palestine's flag up high before the police attacked them. Macklemore is donating all proceeds from the sale of this song to UNWRA. Find it on Spotify here. Radiothon is coming up at 3CR for the month of June. This year's theme is Sound on for Solidarity, and the station needs everyone's help to keep radical and independent radio going. We will share more information next week on how you can donate to Radiothon. Freedom of Species will have an Animal Trivia show for Radiothon on Sunday June 16. Thank you.