The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last May reignited the Black Lives Matter movement and catalyzed a long-overdue, nationwide conversation about racism, social justice, biases, and privilege. Animal sheltering and animal welfare have long suffered from a lack of diversity, and we know that has negatively impacted both the people and pets in the communities we serve.

Change starts from within, so Best Friends, like many others, set out to understand how to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts. DE&I are foundations of building a strong company culture, one that empowers everyone to do the work and allows us to reach every animal lover—especially those who have historically gone unrepresented in our movement. Best Friends is committed to continuing to work to acknowledge and dismantle the deep-rooted systems in animal welfare that prevent our movement from being truly and deeply diverse, equitable, or inclusive.

This week's episode shares conversations from two recent Best Friends Network Town Halls where we shared our approach to DE&I work and provided actionable next steps you can use for your organization.