Black Americans and animals: History, empathy, and racialized barriers in human–animal relationships

Abstract Background : Black Americans’ relationships with animals are shaped by intertwined histories of enslavement, racialized violence, and cultural resilience, yet these dynamics remain largely unexamined in human–animal interaction research. This qualitative study explored how Black Americans understand, experience, and interpret human–animal relationships within historical, cultural, and structural contexts. Methods : Thirty-one adults identifying as Black or African American participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory and reflexive thematic analysis to identify patterns across participants’ narratives. Results : Five interrelated themes emerged from the analysis: (1) empathy for animals grounded in shared experiences of oppression, stigma, and reclamation, particularly in relation to breeds historically weaponized against Black communities; (2) the social and emotional benefits of pet-keeping as sources of safety, companionship, and resilience amid racism; (3) intergenerational family narratives that sustain positive connections to animals historically associated with control or violence; (4) perceptions of animals and pet-keeping as privilege or luxury shaped by structural inequities and racialized norms of “responsible ownership”; and (5) pervasive racism and exclusion within animal advocacy, welfare, and animal-related academic spaces. Conclusion : Together, these findings demonstrate that anti-Blackness shapes access, legitimacy, and belonging within spaces involving human–animal interaction and that Black Americans enact care, creativity, and resistance in navigating these inequities. These results challenge dominant human–animal interaction frameworks that treat the bond as universal or apolitical, and add to calls for anti-racist and decolonizing approaches that link animal-related advocacy to racial and social justice.