Written by Sarah Brasky, Executive Director
2020 has brought many interesting conversations to the forefront of animal welfare, including that of the lack of diversity in our movement (See: Best Friends Animal Society’s statement 6/2020), and the new HASS program with American Pets Alive).
Foster Dogs has been making a conscious effort to reach beyond our existing network of volunteers, fosters, and adopters, and show that fostering is for everybody - including those whom we weren’t reaching in the past. For the last six months, we have posted about amazing advocates on our #FosterFriday feature on Instagram, who bring diversity to animal welfare.
This “Foster Friday” weekly feature on our social media began as a first step toward diversifying our organization and the rescue industry at large. We began by focusing on amplifying Black voices in animal welfare, both in NYC and around the country. We have truly enjoyed interviewing different people in rescue and asking these dedicated volunteers, fosters, donors, and small business owners about their experience with the animal welfare industry.
Foster mom Keturah Wahrmann-Harry tells us, “This is my way of nurturing people and animals, ultimately as a way to nurture myself.”
We not only are amplifying Black voices, we also are working to connect with more diverse audiences and show that fostering and rescue is for every person, no matter age or background or skin color. This project grew organically, and we appreciate learning about each special guest’s story.
Read about our summertime event en Español in The Bronx, which we hope will be the first step in a conscious effort to welcome and reach more Spanish-speaking fosters where they previously may have been overlooked.
Read the featured “Foster Friday” stories of: Oyinda, Jamaiha, Sonya, Althea, Keturah, Khrys, Paula, Calvin, Riley, Brian, Darius, Carol, Ava, Gaby
Foster mom Paula Pahnke says, “Everybody’s here for the same reason. But everybody also has their niche, and when you find where you fit in, that’s so gratifying.”
We are thankful for the people who have shared their stories to bring their experiences and perspectives to the forefront of the conversation. Interviewers Ana Laura Pulido and Milla Chappell, along with caption-writing support from volunteer Alexandra Loh (based on direct transcriptions for journalistic authenticity), make these features possible and respectful of the interviewee’s voice. We record all interviews on video, then prepare a caption for social media based on the transcription, and share photos that were provided to us by the featured person.
Know someone great we can interview? We welcome you to nominate new 2021 names for us to potentially feature on “Foster Friday,” by emailing our interview manager. We encourage people who are particularly connected to the Foster movement.
