Dawn Prince-Hughes - A Profile by Alexis Winters
A Profile of Author and Professor Dawn Prince-Hughes
By
Alexis Winters
Dawn Prince-Hughes grew up with her grandparents who came from sharecropping families. When she was younger her life was rural. Her family fished and hunted and because of that, to them animals were just commodities. She was always the most sensitive member of her family, so her family’s use of animals deeply upset her. But at the time it seemed like an overwhelming fixture of life, something that could never be changed. She recalls when she was eleven, her parents purchased three steers, which are male cattle primarily used for beef. Dawn made friends with them at a time where she didn’t have any human friends, so they had a special place in her heart. She would lie against them, nap in the sun with them, climb on their offered backs to pick apples to share from high trees, and share sticky cow kisses. This time spent together caused her to forget that the cows were destined for death. At that point her parents decided she and her sister should learn where meat comes from and watch the cows get slaughtered.
After
witnessing that, Prince-Hughes was inconsolable for weeks and refused to eat
the meat from them. Her mother tried to point out that the only difference
between them and store-bought meat is that she had known the three cows. But
rather than enticing her to eat them, a lightbulb went on and she stopped
eating “beef” altogether. Soon after she had another revelation that the same
fate was shared by pigs. She notes that, to their credit, her whole family
followed her lead and stopped eating cow and pig as well. Although she admits
it took them years to make the chain of connection to chicken and fish, but over
time, they all became vegetarian. The family got involved with animal rights
and when they found out the dairy and egg industries were just as cruel, they
became fully vegan. As Prince became more aware of the reality of the meat,
dairy, and egg industries, it merged with her natural affinity for all animals.
She was able to reframe how she had always known that animals were sentient,
valuable, and deserving of all she had in the efforts to stop their needless
suffering.
For
Prince-Hughes, going vegan was not a choice she made one day and immediately never
ate animal products again. It took her and her family time to give up their
addiction to cheese. She recalls that her sister was actually the first to
become vegan and she supported Dawn in her efforts. Her sister pushed her to
watch undercover footage of what actually happens to animals in the food
industry and that’s what finally motivated Prince-Hughes to take the leap. She
finally went vegan about a decade ago. In addition to watching films, Dawn’s
family also received literature from PETA, and Prince-Hughes had started
working with captive gorillas and other zoo animals. She began putting together
how horrible captivity was for animals on all levels at that point.
Another
aspect of herself that lead her to veganism is that as someone on the autism spectrum,
Prince-Hughes is more impervious to cultural conditioning. Growing up, she was
bullied badly and gravitated toward animals for friendship. That combination
made it easy for her to see that human love and compassion is arbitrary; that
animals are sentient, loving, feeling, and self-aware. Logical consistency and
integrated morality have always been central to her spiritual and philosophical
convictions so the path to compassionate inclusion was an obvious one.
As
a public figure and because her global recognition was based on the ways
animals guided her into the gifts of her spectrum way of being, it was natural
for Prince-Hughes to include their inherent sentience and terrible plight in
her writings and lectures. However, more recently she has become vocal about
veganism and more active in joining protests, awareness campaigns, and
mentoring programs. Dawn recalls an angry phase she went through where she just
yelled at the public as a way to encourage veganism. She says that was
destructive for her, the people who were intimidated, and the animals’ cause
that she was trying to bring awareness to. She says that since she has been
more approachable, she has been more successful in helping people make the
change. On her strategy to convert people to veganism, she says, “I usually
start with pointing out to people that we all agree that animals shouldn’t be
harmed unnecessarily. Anyone not agreeing with that right off the bat is a
waste of time. But since most everyone does agree with that statement, we work
through from that point.”
On
the subject of being a public figure, Prince-Hughes emphasizes how social media
influenced her integrity in these issues. It supported her convictions, but
also challenged her in staying ignorant on more subtle levels, keeping honest
with herself, and guided her into being an effective activist. She notes that
she personally believes people should be required to confront the realities of
their daily choices.
Prince-Hughes
sees veganism as the one issue that clearly underscores the intersectionality
of all other current issues. These pressing concerns include: human attitudes
toward minor physical and mental differences, toward the planet and living
things as simple commodities, the rights and well-being of workers and the poor
who live in unhealthy food deserts or are forced to take the brutal jobs of
killing and dismembering animals literally begging for their lives, the reality
of a health care system and shared lifestyle that keeps people sick, and of
course climate change. All of these things are connected. Prince-Hughes says
that the encouragement of people who make small changes or simply do whatever
they are able to should be applauded and encouraged. She believes that when
most people make these changes, as their health and clarity of mind improve, they
become more open to the enormity and urgency of the problem.
You
can find more about Dawn Prince-Hughes on her public Facebook page. A film is
currently being made about her book, Songs of the Gorilla Nation, which
will be the first time that animals are portrayed as full persons. The film is
about her life story and goes into why she made the choices she has through her
growing understanding of animal sentience. It will also invite the audience to
remember their best, connected selves and to become intersectional in the ways that
they care about life.
Copyright©2021
by Alexis Winters. All Rights Reserved.