Voice and Representation for the Voiceless

Sor Juana possessed a rare privilege: education, literacy, a platform to publish her ideas. She understood this not as personal achievement alone but as responsibility. She used her voice to defend others—women, indigenous peoples, the marginalized. Animals too need human advocates, not because they are helpless but because they are systematically excluded from institutions of power. We live in a world where animals cannot testify to their suffering, cannot file lawsuits, cannot vote or organize politically. Humans with access to these systems bear an ethical obligation to represent animal interests. This is not about speaking for animals as if we know their wishes perfectly, but rather creating space for their interests to be heard. Sor Juana's model of representation is non-extractive: she did not claim to represent women perfectly but rather amplified their voices and experiences. Animal advocacy similarly requires authenticity—genuinely seeking to understand and communicate animal needs rather than projecting human values onto them.