Shut Up and Shovel?

I remember a few years back, basketball giant LeBron James was interviewed about his position on a political controversy.  Disparaging him as an athlete who wasn't qualified to speak on the subject, a talking head in the media responded to the interview by saying that James should just "shut up and dribble."

With Pride Month, Juneteenth, Black Lives Matter, etc, an increasing number of zoos and aquariums, as well as AZA itself and various wildlife conservation organizations, put out statements in support of the highlighted communities.  Inevitably, there is a backlash (thankfully small) from some people saying that the zoo has no business speaking about non-animal matters and that doing so will cost them support.  My personal favorite example of stupidity came when AZA made a post a few months back saying that they were hoping to boost racial diversity among zoo and aquarium staffs.  Some philosopher posted, "Are we supposed to believe the animals care what color the people cleaning up after them are?" or something like that.

Here's the thing that's always infuriated me about comments like that.  Zoos and aquariums aren't just animals.  They're people, too.  They can't do anything - least of all care for animals - without people.  And those people deserve to be treated with respect and made to feel welcome, included, and safe.  Not because we need them to do a good job, even though we do - but because that's what everyone deserves.  

Laws or political norms that threaten, exclude, or harm them also harm the zoo.  For example, before same-sex marriage was legalized in all fifty states, gay or lesbian keepers might have decided not to work in states where their marriages wouldn't be recognized and protected, even if that state had their dream zoo in it.  Similarly, a state or community that s perceived to be hostile to African Americans is likely to turn off black applicants from wanting to work there.  I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing some people changing states in the aftermath of yesterday's announcement from the Supreme Court.

There is a limit to what zoos and aquariums can do to skip the scale on social issues which have proven bitterly divisive for years.  But that's not an excuse to not do what our organizations can - singly and together - to try and build a better, more just world for the people we serve and those who work as part of our mission.