Amazing Activist Spotlight: Mickey Kudia

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In addition to volunteering as a Mercy For Animals Chicago outreach coordinator, Mickey Kudia works as a humane education instructor for HEART in Chicago, teaching young people about animal protection, human rights, and environmental ethics. He’s currently working on his master’s in education from the Institute for Humane Education, and is looking forward to cofacilitating a workshop on service-learning at the “Educating for a Just, Peaceful, and Sustainable Future” conference in New York this September.

What first inspired you to become a vegan?

When I was in high school, I had a close friend who was vegan. At first I thought she was crazy and I would even make fun of her for it. She was very patient with me and my stupid jokes. Over time, I learned a lot about veganism and how animals are treated on factory farms from talking with her. So in my senior year of high school, I decided to become vegetarian. The following year I went away to college and I adopted a vegan diet because it seemed like the logical next step.

Tell us about your favorite foods.

Most of the meals I cook are simple. I’ll usually make a veggie stir-fry or a stew with beans. However, when I go out to eat, I love to get vegan pizza or any of the fake meat sandwiches from The Chicago Diner or Native Foods.

Why did you choose to volunteer with MFA?

When I moved from the suburbs back to Chicago, Mercy For Animals was the most active animal protection group in the city. It was easy to volunteer with them because every week they organized tabling and leafleting events throughout Chicago. I also believe that through their undercover investigations and pro-vegan outreach, Mercy For Animals is one of the most effective animal protection organizations in the country and I was excited to be part of their important work.

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What do you like most about volunteering with MFA?

Volunteering with Mercy For Animals has been an incredibly rewarding experience. If you’re reading this, you are probably passionate about protecting animals. What’s great about volunteering is that you’re able to share that passion with other people and inspire them to make choices that help animals. You also get to meet and volunteer with like-minded people. I’ve met and befriended a lot of great people through volunteering with Mercy For Animals.

What is the key to your success as an activist?

I think the key to being a successful activist is just finding what you’re good at and what you like doing. I like talking with people. So I enjoy volunteering at tabling events where I get to talk to hundreds of people about animal protection. However, there are lots of other ways people can use their interests and skills to help farmed animals.

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Can you offer any insight for others interested in becoming involved with animal rights activism?

Just try it and stick with it. Don’t worry about being perfect or knowing everything. Through experience, you’ll learn everything you need to know about activism.

Feeling inspired? Click here to learn more about volunteering with MFA.