Kassidi Jones, a Ph.D. candidate studying 19th-Century African American Ecopoetics at Yale studying, always wanted a dog. Early in the pandemic, she visited a local shelter not expecting to adopt right away—and walked out with Ginger, who’d change her life.
For a decade, Kassidi has studied race relations. As a Black woman, adopting a dog who most people identify as a pit bull, opened “another door,” she says, about “how else this is playing out every day in ways that so many people are able to gloss over.”
Kassidi isn’t glossing over any of it. Her wildly popular Instagram account—@gingers_naps; named for her dog—is a hearty mix of extremely adorable dog pics and vids, and anti-racism posts that cover everything from how racialized names affect pets’ ability to get adopted, a primer on the connection between dogs and slavery, and a list of Black pet Instagrammers.
In this wide-ranging episode of People, Pets, and Purpose, Kassidi speaks with host Diaz Dixon about how Ginger positively affects her mental health—and the patterns of racism in the animal welfare industry she’s identified, with ideas for how to make progress.
She also answers Diaz’s question about whether Ginger knows she’s become an unexpected viral sensation. You’ll have to listen to hear the answer!
Do you have a suggestion for a topic or guest for People, Pets, and Purpose? Drop a line at podcast@americanpetsalive.org!
Source: Human Animal Support Services
