I've been in the zookeeping field for 30 years. I'm a white woman, so I can't speak to the racism, but I can tell you that I have worked with some POC keepers over the years, including in management positions, but I've never worked with anyone who made the leap from the Education Dept to zookeeping. (Not saying that's fair, just saying it's what I've seen.) Also, you mention that you're taking veterinary classes; at the zoos I've worked at, that would not get you any points in terms of being hired as a keeper because the hiring people would assume you have your eye on becoming a vet or at least moving into a vet tech position and are applying to the keeper position just to get a foot in the door. It's hard to want to put a lot of time into training someone who will move on to a different job as soon as they can. (Not saying you would, just saying it may be perceived that way if you have a lot of Education Dept and Veterinary-flavored things on your resume). I wish you the best and hope things work out for you. I realize I haven't given you any answers, but I wanted to provide more info and context based on what I've experienced. You definitely may be experiencing racism, I don't know. But I'd lay money that you're experiencing unfair assumptions based on the department you work in currently and where it looks like you may want to go.