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Sowing Seeds Workshop Facilitator
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“Growing up, I experienced how easy it is for people to use differences to discount the needs of others. Raised in the Christian faith at a time when 'fag' and 'gay' were the insults of choice at school, I decided to hide the fact that I was gay. After all, who would choose to be a target of ridicule and hate? Still, living a lie is no easier, so ultimately I came out of the closet despite the consequences.
Being gay in a society that is still hostile toward gay people has allowed me to develop a deep empathy for all beings whose needs are ignored and discounted. Many more beings endure fates far worse than mine, suffering the indignities of slavery, racism, sexism, abject poverty, homelessness, war, speciesism, etc. My empathy with these disenfranchised beings fuels my fire to work for a better world; that's why I became involved with humane education.
Humane education has the power to prevent future injustices while ending current ones. It serves to empower youth with the critical thinking, compassion, and creativity needed to help solve the world's problems so that all people, animals, and ecosystems are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Freeman Wicklund joined IHE in July 2006 as a Sowing Seeds Workshop Facilitator. Freeman became inspired to do humane education by attending a Sowing Seeds workshop in the mid-1990s. He went on to found the humane education program Bridges of Respect in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1999. For five years he provided hundreds of presentations to secondary students, reaching thousands.
Freeman has been active in the animal protection community for more than two decades and has founded and run several university groups and community nonprofits. His efforts helped secure Lakeville High School students with alternatives to dissection, ended dog labs at the University of Minnesota, and generated a government report that details the harms caused to farmed animals, which will be used to shape the agricultural policy of Minnesota. He started the open rescue movement in the United States by organizing the first open rescue at an egg facility in 2001 and trained other groups to conduct their own rescues.
Freeman also has a diverse history of helping people. He has helped English language learners practice their English, tutored middle school students, promoted Habitat for Humanity, participated in peer mentoring, and successfully lobbied his high school alma mater to start a gay-straight alliance.
Freeman received his B.S. in nutrition from the University of Minnesota.
Freeman currently lives in the Columbus, Ohio area. He enjoys camping, the outdoors, triathlons, Toastmasters, reading and dancing.
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Most Good & Least Harm Talk by Zoe Weil - Orono, Maine
March 16, 2010 - 2:00 pm | Location: University of Maine - Orono (100 Neville Hall)
Please join us for an inspiring talk with Zoe Weil at the University of Maine in Orono. Co-sponsored by the Peace Studies and Sociology departments. Learn about the ways in which your everyday choices, your work, your activism, and your volunteerism can do the most ...
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March 16, 2010 - 2:00 pm | Location: University of Maine - Orono (100 Neville Hall)
Please join us for an inspiring talk with Zoe Weil at the University of Maine in Orono. Co-sponsored by the Peace Studies and Sociology departments. Learn about the ways in which your everyday choices, your work, your activism, and your volunteerism can do the most ...
Read More