MISSION

Collectively Free is an activist community that works to bridge the gap between human rights and animal rights through an anti-speciesist messaging, creative actions, pro-intersectionality, & community building.

We are ran by queer and immigrant folks and focus our activism and content on marginalized identities.

7 Values CF Practices

We commit to actively engaging in anti-oppressive movements:
Non-participation in oppressive systems means complacency with them as it does nothing to dismantle them. Therefore, we commit to unapologetically base our actions on:
  • anti-speciesism, anti-racism, anti-colorism, anti-ableism, anti-sexism, anti-cissexism, anti-heterosexism, anti-binarism, anti-classism, anti-nationalism, anti-fascism, anti-xenophobia, anti-ageism, anti-sizeism, anti-nativism, anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, anti-zionism, anti-totalitarianism, anti-ethnocentrism.

We commit to acting with integrity and showing respect:
  • Demonstrate a commitment to integrity and ethics: do our best to keep our promises and be transparent.
  • Show respect for and value all individuals: for their experiences, approaches, diverse backgrounds and ideas. And do so with empathy.
  • Listen to others with understanding.
  • Express appreciation for other members of the community. Maintain a 5:1 ratio of positive vs. negative interactions.
  • Keep a positive and forward-thinking attitude during destabilizing situations. Use chaos as an opportunity to demonstrate integrity.

We commit to taking accountability:
  • Be accountable for our actions and results.
  • Be assertive not aggressive: maintain a healthy balance between our necessities and those of our community members.
  • Focus on finding solutions and achieving results.
  • Actively engage in discussions and commit to decisions once they are made.

We commit to having humility and desire to learn:
  • Be open and curious to learn from anyone, anywhere.
  • Seek, provide, and accept honest feedback.
  • Embrace change for continuous improvement.
  • Learn equally from our mistakes and successes.
Publicly apologize if necessary and implement change.

We commit to letting different voices echo together:
  • Never make an executive decision: always involve teams in discussions for decisions and plans that affect them.
  • Founding members don’t get to decide: every organizer has the ability to autonomously make strategic decisions for themselves and their work groups, without the pre-approval of founding members as long as the rest of their team is in agreement.
The entire team of organizers is expected to collaborate on ideas for campaigns, actions, materials, and implementation of new or changing policies.

We commit to giving and not just taking:
  • Nurture open communication: help activists understand that their input is valued even if you decide to go on a different route.
  • Lay out clear and structured groundwork of information for activists to build up on.
  • Support community activists’ independence and trust that they will do the right thing; stay away from micromanagement.
Appreciate self-improvement. If an activist took time to learn something, let them know how amazing that is!

Inclusiveness & Safety
  • Adapt our style and be aware of the diversity of people we interact with.
  • Get to know people personally through community building programs such as Unite. Act. Transform program.
  • Respect and apply the Safer Space Agreement. Work toward eliminating discrimination and welcoming minorities.
  • Value diversity within our community and beyond.
  • Promptly respond to discriminating incidents.
For more information on how to be an inclusive leader, check out this link.

ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES

  1. TOTAL ANIMAL LIBERATION Our ultimate goal is total animal liberation. Every non-human animal has the right to live free and without being an object of harm or exploitation.
  2. COMMUNITY Social change will only grow around a strong core community. As individuals, our actions can only influence other individuals and only change behavior. But as communities, we can begin to change culture and shape new ideas.
  3. PRO-INTERSECTIONALITY Diversity in our movement is key. CF strives to be as pro-intersectional and inclusive as possible, in every action and in every material we put out. Human or non-human, it is not our characteristics that make us matter but rather our very existence does. To be truly free from oppression, we must stop all of its forms.
  4. ACTIVISM & VEGANISM We promote and acknowledge veganism as a step towards the rejection of speciesism and the elimination of animal use, but it is not an ends in itself. In order to achieve total animal liberation, we must unite to speak up for the non-human animals through highly creative, non-violent activism.
  5. THE STORIES OF THE NON-HUMAN ANIMALS Just because we don’t understand the languages of non-human animals doesn’t mean they don’t have stories to tell. CF features the animals and their stories as a way to decommodify their image.
  6. INSPIRATION The success of our movement depends upon always keeping the momentum, always growing, and always looking at the bigger picture ahead. When we inspire others, we get inspired in return, and this drives us forward. Inspiration is the spark that brought us all here, and it is the spark we should strive to ignite in others.