Images credits: Elizabeth Maselli
We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erica Davidson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erica below.
Erica, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I have always loved animals, but I did not find my true purpose until about 3 years ago when I began volunteering at a local farm animal sanctuary. At that point, I had been vegetarian for many years, as killing and consuming a beautiful creature I loved did not make sense to me. But it wasn’t until I met a rescued dairy cow named Lily that I fully understood and acknowledged the depth and soul of all creatures and the need to protect and stand up for them, as they are unable to do so for themselves.
Lily is the sweetest, most loving creature you’ll ever meet. Just like my dog at home, she loves attention and scratches, and she’ll follow you around for more. Making this connection, I was fully hit by the injustice of the world, where my dog gets to live a life of comfort and love while individuals like Lily are bred into cruel, short existences for the fleeting sensory pleasure of humans. I knew that I needed to stand up for creatures like Lily and try to change the hearts and minds of humans and our flawed institutions.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
After meeting Lily, I started an organization called Columbus Animal Advocates. We are a fledgling local volunteer group working to improve the lives of farmed animals through various means, including passing legislation banning the worst forms of cruelty, improving corporate animal welfare standards, and educating the public on the plight of farmed animals while encouraging veganism as a moral imperative.
Over the last 2 years, we have hosted tables at various events and festivals to educate the public; held protests at local restaurants and businesses that have poor animal welfare standards, such as selling cruel foie gras, fur, and eggs that are sourced from hens confined to tiny battery cages; met with city councilors; and asked local restaurants to offer more plant based menu options.
My personal passion is promoting change through local and federal legislation, so I am most excited about our recent work with city council in trying to foster a more humane and compassionate city – more to come on this soon!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Animal advocacy, like all social justice activism, is tough work; burnout and compassion fatigue are high. Being aware of this from the outset and focusing on self care is very important to ensure that you can stay strong in the movement for the animals. It’s true what they say: prioritizing self care is necessary to effectively care for others. So my biggest piece of advice is to care for yourself! Eat healthy, exercise regularly, get sufficient sleep, set boundaries, and practice stress management.
In addition to this, I think that doing extensive research on the issues when I began my activism journey was very helpful so that I knew where I should focus to make the most difference. It helped me to solidify my “why”, my purpose for the organization, and my goals. Having passion and reminding yourself of it regularly is important!
Finally, I recommend starting out by learning from an individual or organization that has already been involved in the movement you are interested in. I started out gaining experience from an incredible organization, The Humane League (THL). THL is one of the most effective international animal welfare organizations, and they have an incredible volunteer changemaker program. I learned about community and relational organizing, corporate campaigning, effective communication, and so much more. This experience allowed me to develop our local organization, and we continue to work closely with THL to this day.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Yes! We are always looking for passionate animal advocates to support our mission. If you live in or near Columbus, Ohio and want to get involved or learn more, you can reach out to us on Facebook (Columbus Animal Advocates) or Instagram (@cbusanimaladvocates), or email us at [email protected]. Even if you are outside of Ohio, following us and liking our posts on social media to spread the word is very helpful.
Outside of the animal welfare movement, social justice movements in general are facing a lot of obstacles right now. In order to make the difference we want to see in the world, we need to stand together and build strong, large communities and local power. We need to support each other. So in light of this, we are also looking to partner and collaborate with other social justice movements in our community – please reach out to connect with us!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://columbusanimaladvocates.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbusanimaladvocates
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558827014817
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Liz Maselli (cover photo)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
