Founded by professor emeritus Dr. Lisa Kemmerer, Tapestry is an educational umbrella organization working on behalf of all that is/who are marginalized, whether anymals, the natural environment, or disempowered human beings. Tapestry educates to empower, heal, and to help build peaceful, compassionate, and sustainable communities. A wide-angle, historic view of oppressions (as interconnected and as part of the fabric of the histories and cultures of human communities) is central to Tapestry. As such, Tapestry approaches oppressions as part of societies in the same way that oppressive words and phrases are part of languages: Both are created and maintained by individuals and communities; both can be modified or rejected by individuals and communities.
Tapestry is currently home to three educational projects (one is up and running, one is accessible but still under construction, and the third is proposed for the future): The Vegan Philosopher, Animals and Religion, and the Vegan Journey.
The Vegan Philosopher
Tapestry provides scholarly works and a mentoring program, The Vegan Philosopher, to stimulate, participate in, and carry forward a rigorous international program of research, writing, and teaching in the field of animal studies with an intersectional approach to social justice that includes ecofeminism, critical race theory, and both secular moral theories and religious ethics. Founder Dr. Kemmerer produces Tapestry’s scholarly works (published essays and books) and offers mentoring, free of charge, to those who are familiar with her work and who are working in her areas of specialty. The mentoring program also provides, on request, free online presentations/discussions for classrooms, conferences, and various other groups/gatherings. The Vegan Philosopher extends an especially warm welcome to individuals from marginalized communities.
Animals and Religion
Tapestry is home to The Traveling Banner Exhibit and Animals and Religion (a website), both of which explore religious ethics (Indigenous, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Daoist, Confucian, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions) regarding anymals (and nature), including the ethics of what we eat, often challenging historic interpretations and normative ethics. The Traveling Banner Exhibit (already completed) is designed for a more general audience and is suited for display in schools, churches, museums, and at conferences. Animals and Religion, which leans toward the needs of activists and scholars, nonetheless offers something for anyone interested in the subject, and is currently a work in progress. (Please go to the website and click on the various religious icons to find out which are up and running.)
The Vegan Journey
Once the Animals and Religion website is completed, Tapestry is slated to develop a series of online courses, The Vegan Journey, focused on diverse and critical areas of study such as ecofeminism, religion and anymals, ethics and anymals, and intersectional activism. True to the vision and mission of Tapestry, courses will be provided either free of charge or (if necessary) at cost.
Tapestry (educational 501c3, EIN# 82-4653673) is grateful to those who support our mission to build peace and compassion through education.
Oppressions, then, are by definition linked – linked by common ideologies, by institutional forces, and by socialization that makes oppressions normative and invisible.
Introduction to Sister Species
