Robin Williams
Like many people who find their way into the animal rights movement, I recall my feelings for animals being strong from a very young age. I can remember looking at people hugging a teddy bear or petting a dog, and I would think, What makes them so much more loveable? I thought cows were adorable, and pigs were precious! But it was put to me simply: “We eat those animals.” I decided to stop eating animals when I was 11 years old. I guess you could say this was my first introduction to the concept of humane education. I was not a huge fan of humans, though. My mother supported my decision and actually was the catalyst for my activism by letting me tag along at fur protests; but it seemed like all other people in my life were waiting for me to “return to normal.”
I would try to introduce compassionate concepts to my classmates in high school; I would bring in faux chicken nuggets and serve them for lunch, and in a flurry of hands they would disappear before I ever got to say, “They aren’t real!” Or, “Thanks for making the compassionate choice.” Most of my friends and family thought it was a phase, but I knew in my heart that this was real and that I had purpose in changing this world. I continued to work for animals rights in a variety of forms. I attended protests against circuses and fast food restaurants. I started the animal rights group at Marist College, which then became one of the first six schools working with the Humane Society of the U.S. to adopt a cage-free egg policy. I met my now husband in 2003, and through volunteering at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, he slowly turned from the Standard American Diet to a compassionate lifestyle that has transformed us both. For almost two years I was an animal caretaker at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, watching as closed minds and hearts blossomed as kids and adults stroked chickens softly and let cows lick their faces. I found that letting people come to love the animals and understand their prior situations was much more effective than holding a sign in front of KFC telling people buying chicken not to eat it. (Although I do still enjoy a good demonstration every now and then.)
It was during my last year in college that a friend mentioned a program for which you could receive an actual Masters, just for being an activist! I soon found out that there was more work to it, but the website of the Institute for Humane Education seemed too good to be true -- courses in human rights, animal protection and the environment? The memories of being told by teachers that “animals are here for us to use,” seemed distant and fading. I started taking courses as soon as I graduated college, and since then have realized the larger picture and connections across the globe. We have so many roles to play from day to day: the conservationist, the protector, the teacher. I take on these challenges with more ease and confidence, thanks to the seamless connections I have found through IHE.
Although my career path has changed, I'm happy to say that I am still a daily humane educator. I work with intellectually disabled adults at one of the most progressive agencies in the country, the Arc of Delaware County in upstate New York. I still work for the animals; in fact, 26 of them in need of a home have found one with me, including three dogs, four cats, 11 chickens, a rabbit, three goats and two pigs. I now have no problem talking to humans; my days of misanthropy are over. In fact I realize that we humans are key to helping everything else in this world improve! I plan to finish the Master's program in the next six months, and although I have yet to choose an Individual Learning Project topic, (I think of a new one every day!) I know that I will work to incorporate all aspects of my life, so that it is most meaningful to me and what and who I care about.
It has been 14 years since I first decided I was on the "animals’ side," and now I can say that I am on the Earth’s side, educating for all inhabitants.
Watch and share IHE President, Zoe Weil's TEDx talk -- an inspiring vision of how to create a just, compassionate, healthy world for all through solutionary education.
July 14, 2012 - 8:30 am to July 14, 2012 - 5:00 pm | Location: Institute for Humane Education
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