Hey ya’ll, I’m Jackal. I’m a black lesbian and long time member of the Vulture Culture. I’ve been processing animals, writing guides, and sharing my love for the community for nearly 10 years! I’m completely self-educated, but wish to break into the field of taxidermy at the professional level.
I want to start my taxidermy courses near the end of this year (August/September). This is a huge step because taking these classes will allow me to get formal training, gather information how to start my business, get my taxidermist licenses, and start making and selling mounts.
I’m starting off with a 7 day small mammals course and intend to take more classes if I’m able. I’ll have to stay out of town for the duration of the class, board my dog Lobo for the time I’m away, and pay for the class itself + class materials/food/gas for that week. After crunching the numbers, I’ll need about $3000 to cover everything.
I’ll be working sales/commissions through the year to help save up for the costs, but if you are able to donate ANY help is greatly appreciated! My Kofi and Paypal links are below:
I would not have made it this far without all the amazing people I’ve met through the Vulture Culture community so thank you all so much for the kindness and love you’ve shown me over the years. I’m excited to start this new chapter in my life and officially get Jackal & Hide licensed as one of the very few black-owned and operated taxidermy business.
Thank you all for your donations so far. It’s helped so so much and relieved a ton of pressure of doing this completely on my own. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!
I found a place I’d like to stay and called up some places that can take Lobo for the 10 days I’ll be gone. Basically everything thing looks good as far as availability for October, I just need to put down the deposits.
Between now and April I’m looking at around $850 to put down the deposit for the class ($500) and a 50% deposit book a place to stay close to the school ($350). I’m going to be off work for a bit after Monday so I can finish up some sales items later this week, but once again, anything helps donation wise if you’re able! I want to reserve everything as soon as possible so that way I can guarantee my time slot then just have to save up from there.
May 4th marks the day of the Haymarket Affair in which eight anarchists were accused of throwing a bomb, and four of them condemn to death despite lack of evidence.
Their graves are by Emma Goldman who wished to be buried besides the Anarchists accused of setting the bomb off.
They went on to inspire other luminaries in the Anarchist movement such as Parsons, who went on to be a founding member of the IWW, and Voltairine de Clayre, both buried alongside them.
Someone oft forgotten is Mena Neebe whose husband, Oscar Neebe, was imprisoned after the fact despite the clear lack of evidence against him. In court he said, “There is no evidence to show that I was connected with the bomb-throwing, or that I was near it, or anything of that kind. So I am only sorry, your honor-that is, if you can stop it or help it-I will ask you to do it-that is, to hang me, too; for I think it is more honorable to die suddenly than to be killed by inches. I have a family and children; and if they know their father is dead, they will bury him. They can go to the grave, and kneel down by the side of it; but they can’t go to the penitentiary and see their father, who was convicted for a crime that he hasn’t had anything to do with. That is all I have got to say. Your honor, I am sorry I am not to be hung with the rest of the men.”
She died while he was in prison and he wasn’t allowed to attend the funeral.
Her name now eroded from the tombstone.
“Liberty will not descend to a people, a people must raise themselves to liberty.”
On November 11, 1887, Albert Persons, August Spies, George Engel, and Adolph Fisher were all executed on false charges.
As a former zookeeper we would hear this a lot. “If you don’t study hard you’ll end up cleaning poop for a living.” It’s the one time we’re allowed to go off on the visitors. I once heard my boss rant for five minutes at a lady, in front of her kids, about how he had a Master’s degree, how people literally worked there for free, and how dare she judge people without bothering to know anything about them. Later that day his boss came by and said, roughly, “She told us what happened. Thanks for not throwing anything this time.”
I can count on one hand the amount of times I have gone off on people, but employment snobbery gives me the rage. I was showing the new kid how to use the fry scoop at McDonald’s “.. like this, and then just sort of hold it perpendicular and give it one tap..”
And the new kid sniggered “isn’t perpendicular a bit of a big word for McDonald’s?”
Something in me was just so annoyed by this 16yr old who was learning to work right next to me and somehow felt above us? Fuck that shit. I pointed at the people just on the floor and went off, “she’s a 4th year law student, she’s the primary career for her terminally ill daughter, he raises 100,000 for charity every year, she manages 3 stores and more than £16mil in turnover a year. What the fuck do you do?”
He just sort of mumbled “I didn’t know”
“you shouldn’t have to know, you’re not better than us. So. You tap it once and then move it here to release…”
