If Will were 33, he would still impress us with his activism. Knowing that he’s just 13 … well, we’re just in awe. Read on to see what it takes to be a PETA2 Star Street Teamer.
Name: Wiley (Will) Chester Wimberly III
Age: 13
Grade and School: Eighth grade at League Academy
Is your family supportive of your animal rights activism?
My family is very supportive. My mom does animal rescue, and I have helped her for years. We both went vegan together. My step-dad is going vegan, too! My father is slowly becoming vegetarian, and my grandmother is, too. I find that they do respect my beliefs. My grandfather is a big meat-eater, but even he takes care when we visit to cook dishes with no meat products.
Do you have companion animals?
I have a lot of pets! Well, they own me. We have been involved in rescue work for several years. Sometimes our numbers are higher than others, but we always have several cats, and we have two dogs and three horses. We always raise orphan kittens during kitten season and always look for animals in need when we are out. One of our horses is a product of the race industry and is only 4 and crippled for life with an ankle injury. Elton is a yearling who is a product of the PMU industry. I would name them all but there is not enough space!
What have others said about your compassion for animals?
I feel sorry for the people who can only say negative things. I wish they could see through the lies that they are told by the media and the meat/dairy industry. I have learned to let it slide off my back when someone makes rude comments.
Who is your favorite PETA2 band and why?
I really like Anti-Flag. I love the message they have, both for animal rights and for human rights. I have all their CDs and hope I can meet them someday. I think they send a good message to our youth to get involved and to do your own research. Don’t trust everything you read and hear.
Tell us about your favorite PETA campaign.
I love the KFC campaign. I try not to miss an opportunity to educate someone about the cruelty that goes on. As bad as the video is, I am thankful it was shown all over the news. The media takes us more seriously now in my town, and we have gotten much more support. Chickens get so much abuse in the world, maybe one day KFC will help ease some of the suffering—or better yet, maybe people will stop eating chicken all together. OK, that is a dream, but maybe standing there will reach some people. I think the KFC campaign really reaches a lot of people, even more than other issues like vivisection, etc. It is more mainstream, and everyone knows KFC.
What was the turning point that made you decide to devote your life to helping animals?
One day, my mom showed me “Meet Your Meat”. Before that, I would not watch or read her materials. Then I sat down and saw the suffering first hand, and there was no way I could eat another hamburger or pepperoni pizza again. I think once you see the tape and the images and the horror of the animals suffering, it makes sense. Seeing food in the store takes away the reality of it. I also went to the PETA site and read about the different areas of animal abuse and watched different videos on PETA TV.
How was your life different before you became an activist for animals?
I was not as compassionate as I am now. I wore leather, ate meat, and gave no thought to where things came from. I just went along with everyone else. When everyone wore Nike shoes, I got them. I just went with the majority. I always loved animals, but I never made the connection between animal abuse and the meat industry or leather. I just did not know. I think I was scared of being labeled as different. Now I love being different. I think going vegan and becoming an activist opened up my life in many ways. I have more confidence from protesting, and I feel healthier.
What are some of your proudest animal rights moments (big campaigns you worked on, success stories, events you organized, tabling, rescues, etc)?
I have worked on a lot of campaigns, mostly KFC demos and Iams snarl-ins. We also do Fur-Free Friday and always protest the circus. I am most proud of rescuing a kitten against my dad’s wishes. I put the kitten in my room and cared for him until Mom came and got him. He is now neutered and happy inside the house with me. I look at him and feel better knowing I made a difference in his life.
What is your favorite way to help animals?
We do demos every week. I also like leafleting because I find it challenging to get people to take info, even if they don’t want it. We have bought candy canes and passed them out with literature, and we have tons of kids go to the Universoul circus wearing ele-friend stickers. I got to table at the Warped Tour, which was cool.
What is your personal message to the more than 35,000 PETA2 Street Team members?
Don’t let a day go by without taking some kind of action. Place a sticker somewhere, put a leaflet on a table or in a store, talk to people. You never know when you will reach one person, and they will spread the word to someone else. Every day, we have the opportunity to win the war on animal abuse. It starts with us. Get out there and get busy. Don’t sit around saying, “Maybe next week.” Do it today! Think of the animals’ suffering, and do your part to make changes. We can do it.
You heard him! Get active and stay active for animals! Oh yeah, and check back next month for our next Star Street Teamer profile.
