When I first encountered James Wildman, I only knew him from his wildly successful humane education videos. With millions of views on Facebook, his presentations have been translated into over two dozen languages.
But unlike so many uber successful social media influencers these days, who gain fame for, well nothing really, James has definitely earned his place.
“I remember coming home from middle school to the exuberant greeting of more than a half-dozen dogs, and the occasional puddle of pee, if I took too long on my walk home.”
Veggie Burgers
When he entered college – Clark University, a small institution in Worcester, MA, he noticed that the cute girls gravitated towards a vegetarian lifestyle.
“My decision to be a vegetarian was far from noble. On the first day of school the freshmen were lined up for lunch in the cafeteria. When my group, made up of myself and nine women, got to the front of the line, all the girls went for the veggie burgers, so I followed. And when one of the girls turned around and said, ‘Hey James, are you a vegetarian?’ I smiled and replied ‘I am now!’”
During James’ college years, (1997-2001) as a vegetarian, veganism and animal rights were not popular topics of discussion; but this is where his teaching journey began. His undergraduate major was in English, although he had no real desire to enter any field related to that degree. He
After graduation things would change when James’ brother suggested he get his hands on a copy of Animal Liberation by Peter Singer – that book seemed to have connected the dots for him and he decided to extend his compassion to all animals. He recalls reading the first chapter and realizing that any argument he made against veganism was an argument defending animal cruelty.
He fondly recalls telling his mother about his decision to adopt a vegan lifestyle. His then vegetarian mom replied, “What about the Challah?” A sweet bread made with honey and eggs, Challah is typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays. James then realized that even vegetarians had their own set of belief systems that didn’t necessarily consider all animal’s lives.
His excitement to become more involved in animal rights led him to participate in animal rights demonstrations and a variety of protests but this would only satisfy half of his dream. He knew he wanted to bring veganism and animal rights into the classroom, without being confined to the core subjects of math, english, history, and science.
James’ brother at the time happened to be on the board of the Institute of Humane Education (IHE). Knowing his brother’s desire to work with youth, he suggested that James enroll in their Master’s Humane Education program. Humane Education being a holistic approach to education that focuses on human rights, animal rights and environmental issues and the interconnection of them all.
Class is Now in Session
In 2007 James earned his Master’s of Humane Education degree from IHE through Cambridge College, just as a Humane Educator position at the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) happened to open up. He applied for the position and was hired.
“As the Humane Educator for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF), I now get to use my degree to help inspire and empower others to make compassionate and sustainable choices. I don’t hope for change, I create that better world.”
James has also gone above and beyond by creating materials to help people transition to a vegan diet, including a wallet-sized vegan shopping guide and an on-line vegan starter kit. His signature style of teaching is a combination of using interactive activities with a conversational, Socratic-like method of presenting information. The information he presents to youth is the same information he presents to adults, however, the style and mannerisms are different.
He incorporates humor as a way to get the audience to think critically about their behaviors.
“Habits can be hard to change, especially habits of eating. But, if you can get your audience to laugh at their own behaviors, then you’ve won half the battle. My memory of secondary school is one of boredom and monotony. So when I present, I try to make it as entertaining as possible.”
“When I first started presenting, I focused almost solely on the ethical side of veganism. But, what I soon learned is that if people think they need to eat meat, dairy, and eggs for their health, the ethical argument will not be enough.”
He relies on his understanding of people and their need to acknowledge the harm that animal products can cause to themselves as well as to the animals. Therefore he spends just as much time discussing the health and environmental arguments as he does the ethical side of veganism. His goal is to get the audience to think critically about these issues and not just force feed them the information.
The best audience is engaged and participates in the presentation. An audience who feels talked to, scolded or told how to think is a lost opportunity. James uses his own past behaviors while presenting. This shows the audience that he held similar beliefs to those they may have right now. His presentations provide the information needed to help students make informed, conscious choices that align with their values.
He has also presented in Norway, Ontario, Texas, Wisconsin and New Jersey and receives requests from all over the world to speak on behalf of animals.
“One of my most memorable teaching experiences was when I gave the presentation on wildlife conservation to all the 5th graders at an elementary school in Palm Beach County. One of the teachers later informed me that the students collectively decided to cancel their end-of-the-year field trip to SeaWorld after my presentation; the kids no longer wanted to support this form of entertainment.”
He also recalls when an entire High School classroom decided to go vegan after seeing his presentation. They decided it would be easier if they all went vegan together and could support each other on the path. While in Norway, he was concerned that many of the cultural references and his sense of humor would not translate well in another country. But his fears were unwarranted. At the end of the presentation, he actually received a standing ovation from all 100+ attendees.
Animal Rights Activism
In 2018, he volunteered to help end greyhound racing in Florida. As the Broward County Area Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Dogs, James helped organize 40 volunteers (Grey2K) on the successful campaign that saw Florida greyhound racing finally come to an end (Amendment 13) Statewide passed by over 70%.
“Anger is a great thing when you can transmute it into motivation.”
Going Viral
Back in 2009, his now renowned presentation 101 Reasons to Go Vegan was filmed and uploaded to Vimeo, and then by others, shared to YouTube. Even more people uploaded it to their own channels and it slowly started to generate more views. Eventually it was translated into different languages and people from all over the world were emailing James asking him questions about veganism.
Today James’ mother and brother are both vegan, his dad went vegetarian at the age of 70, and the majority of his friends are also vegan. A very strong testament to the saying – teach by example.
Advice from the Master
“Sometimes the best way to get through someone’s mind is to go through their stomach. If someone is interested in going vegan and is concerned about how their family and friends might react, make them an awesome vegan meal to show them just how good vegan food is. See if their family and friends would be willing to eat vegan for at least one day out of the week. Veganism is an ever growing movement. More and more people are transitioning to a healthier, more compassionate and sustainable lifestyle. When you go vegan, you become a part of this movement, and with you, others will follow. Just stay strong! Do not be afraid to speak out for the animals, for compassion, for health, and for the environment. Look for vegan groups on social media to help you along and to give you a boost if you are feeling alone on this path. You can look into joining a vegan or animal rights group in your area and attend an event. There are a lot of vegan potlucks, vegan outreach events, vegan movie screenings, animal rights marches, and other events that are happening every month throughout the world. And, there is always a vegan restaurant to support. Veganism is a state of mind. And, once you’re in that state of mind, it becomes harder to “cheat” on your principles.”
Want to attend a LIVE James Wildman event. You are in luck – James will be presenting a 3 part webinar series complete with Q&A, polling, and interactive exercises on Sundays – October 3, October 10, and October 17 all at 8:00 PM EST.
FREE registration here
Questions for James? Want to book James for a presentation? Email him james@arff.org.
Follow James on Instagram – instagram.com/thejameswildman/
Facebook – facebook.com/james.wildman.336/
You can support ARFF by signing up for their email action alerts – arff.org/get-involved
Follow ARFF on Facebook – facebook.com/animalsflorida
Or make a tax-deductible donation – arff.org/donate
3 thoughts on “What About the Challah? Breaking Bread with Humane Educator James Wildman”
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We’re all fortunate, and the animals are fortunate, that people like James are out there fighting the fight. If more people could take a page from his activist book and take the time to reach out and impact the people around them, I think we would be much further ahead in the struggle for animal rights.
Thank you Eric. I agree 100%. James is a huge asset to the movement.