Synopses & Reviews
In this lively, accessible, and provocative collection, Aph and Syl Ko provide new theoretical frameworks on race, advocacy for nonhuman animals, and feminism. Using popular culture as a point of reference for their critiques, the Ko sisters engage in groundbreaking analysis of the compartmentalized nature of contemporary social movements, present new ways of understanding interconnected oppressions, and offer conceptual ways of moving forward expressive of Afrofuturism and black veganism.
Review
“The Ko sisters are miles ahead of even the most progressive thinkers, with Aphro-ism establishing a theoretical framework and #BlackVegansRock demonstrating its practicability. There’s no better metaphor for the failures of white supremacist capitalism than mortar, since it is the white slime that holds stone together. When the mortar cracks the whole building falls apart. Aph and Syl Ko are the stone. Crack them a thousand times and they remain unbroken.” Rich Goldstein, Producer, The Daily Beast
Review
“Now, more than ever, is the time to engage in critical thinking and an honest consideration of what is. Reading the work of Aph Ko and her sister Syl within the pages of Aphro-ism will build the perfect foundation needed for activists or anyone wanting to end the oppression of all, by not being the oppressor of one.” Seba Johnson, Olympian, activist, and vegan since birth
Review
“Aphro-ism is a triumph for anti-racist and animal rights activism! Aph and Syl have created a brilliant framework through which we can integrate all aspects of anti-oppression work. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in dismantling systems of oppression!” Brenda Sanders, Open the Cages Alliance
Review
“The bold wisdom of Syl and Aph Ko is timely and crucial. They help us rethink the concept of the ‘human’ and the ‘animal,’ calling on scholars and activists to truly understand taxonomies of power. Their feminist sensibilities encourage a deconstruction of Eurocentric understandings of race and species that changes the terms of debates about both.” Lori Gruen, author, Entangled Empathy
About the Author
Aph Ko is a theorist and indie digital media producer and founder of Black Vegans Rock, currently residing in Florida. She has a BA in Women's and Gender Studies and an MA in Communication/Media Studies. She is the coeditor of The Praxis of Justice in an Era of Black Lives Matter and served as the Associate Producer for the documentary film, Always in Season.
Syl Ko studied philosophy at San Francisco State University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is currently working on a book exploring Wittgensteinian "forms of life" defenses of animal use, taking into account the racialization of the animal.