BIPOC Animal Activism Starter Guide for Collective Liberation: Yvette Baker of APEX Advocacy

To many animal activists (especially activists of color), veganism isn't just a diet to help nonhuman animals; it's a collective liberation movement, part of a systemic approach to seeking justice for all beings and decolonizing our food system. Yvette Baker shares her philosophies on this and more, as the lead author of the innovative and in-depth 68-page Animal Activism Starter Guide for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), available for free download from APEX Advocacy -- a nonprofit advocacy group started by friend-of-the-show Christopher 'Soul' Eubanks here in Atlanta, that is building a community of BIPOC animal rights advocates by empowering their activism and providing them professional development.

In this 44-minute "In Tune to Nature" interview from Sept 2025, host Carrie Freeman talks with Yvette Baker (L.A. activist and APEX's Director of Activism and Community Impact) about:

• the value of having an animal activism starter guide centering on BIPOC activists and their perspectives;
• creating solidarity between animal activism and social justice causes as many compassionate BIPOC activists have done historically;
• why she uses the terms "nonhuman animal" and "other animals" to push back on dehumanizing, racist, and colonial lies separating humans from all other animals;
• the six main reasons activists of color should get involved in animal activism;
• spotlighting Julia Magnus, of the Open Sanctuary Project and micro-animal-sanctuary in Chicago ; and
• the importance of building BIPOC activist communities beyond white vegan led spaces, which can often be alienating and less connected with broader justice causes. And, as a white animal activist and vegan, Carrie points out the value she found in reading and learning from this BIPOC guide.

The guide took a year for Yvette and her team to produce, so our radio show can't fully cover all the many sections and wisdom it provides (including legal protection for activists of color; self care; indigenous roots of plant-based eating, and systemic activism strategies), so it's totally worth checking out online and discussing with friends. https://www.apexadvocacy.org/starterguide  Consider also supporting or joining APEX Advocacy, as BIPOC-led nonprofits receive just 4% of funding of white-led organizations, and this financial inequity needs to change so the world can change. 

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly hour-long radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and my contact info can be found at https://wrfg.org/intunetonature/  While there, consider donating to Radio Free Georgia, a 50+ year old progressive, non-commercial, indie radio station, run largely by volunteers like me.

Take care of yourself and others, including other animals because we are all connected.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers.