What is “LAB?”
“LAB” began as Ludar Animal Behavior and this is still our official business name (Ludar Animal Behavior, LLC). However, as time went on, our founders Mel and Delilah quickly realized that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (“STEM”) lacked representation of diverse peoples. We began with an understanding that animal welfare was immensely homogenous but could not find any inclusive and affirming spaces for our unique identities. With the help of friends, family, and colleagues, LAB has become a collective of many marginalized groups (or “non-dominant identities”) within STEM.
“LAB is both an organization and a social justice movement”
Our collective is ever-evolving so the identities of our volunteers can and does change. As of 2022, we are a collective of Romani, Indigenous, Traveller, Black, Asian, SWANA, Muslim, Jewish, Pagan, and atheist volunteers. In addition to their ethno-racial and religious backgrounds, our collective has lived experiences being:
- Impoverished, low-income, poor and/or working class
- Unhoused and/or housing insecure
- Traditionally nomadic
- Disabled and/or chronically ill
- Neurodivergent
- 2S and/or LGBTQIA+
- Multilingual
- Veterans
Our Collective Purpose:
To decolonize and decapitalize animal welfare whilst harmonizing modern science with lived experiences.
Our shared cultures have lived in symbiosis with animals and the land, being stewards of ecosystems. Our collective seeks to build community around people interested in anti-racism and decolonizing all intersections of animal welfare. We acknowledge, respect and affirm the interconnectedness between both human and animal welfare. This is why we converge science with social justice. We seek to repair, restore, and support relationship-building throughout all disciplines of science.
LAB is a community movement to disrupt, dismantle and decolonize oppressive systems wherever we encounter them.
