Minority Report
A better way
There's no magic formula for educating less wealthy ethnic communities about good animal care. But neither is it an impossible enterprise. Zavitowski emphasizes that you always have to take into account the nuances and complexities of culture.
"The worst possible thing you can do is go in and say, 'Hi. We're the white people who are going to help you because we love animals, and we know that you're having a problem with this.' You need to go in with some stuff that's going to really be helpful.
"If I were going to go into a Hispanic community, I'd find the largest Catholic parish, and I'd call up the priest and say, 'Hi. Can I talk to you? You guys run programs for your neighborhood, a soup kitchen, a charity shop, etc. A lot of people have pets, and we can probably help them if you've got seniors and others who need pet food and maybe vaccinations and things for their pets.'
"And after I'd been at that for a little while, I'd say, 'I'll tell you what. How about if we run a spay/neuter clinic over here? They really liked it when we brought in the pet food, and they really liked the vaccinations. And by giving out some leashes and collars and helping the kids learn some basic dog training, you know you don't have as many dogs wandering around.'
"We can't go in and assume that we're just going to change that community and resonate with them."
Solutions that Work: Some tips from Maru Vigo
Speak the language: Many humane organizations still don't distribute materials that are targeted to the Spanish-speaking community.
People are more reluctant to go and pick up a brochure that's in English if they don't read the language. If they already have attitudes that animals aren't that important and then all the information is in English, it only solidifies that opinion.
Target campaigns for the specific community: With Hispanics and Latinos already feeling besieged with prejudice, using cultural pride and heroes can make for some of the most successful campaigns.
We saw how fast the right campaign can work when we started a project on vegetarianism. We presented a brochure with Cesar Chavez on the cover because he was a vegetarian and he had a dog. He was totally devoted to the dog. We had some interviews with his family, and suddenly the situation changed. People started to pick up the literature. It was something related to them.
Keep knocking on the door: You need to follow up if you want Hispanic people to spay or neuter an animal or go to a vaccination clinic. It's time-consuming, but in our culture, that's the way it works. If you don't follow up, it means to them: "I'm not important enough."
So it's not enough to just give the information. You have to check and say, "Have you done anything with the information?" If there is no follow-up, you really didn't care. You were just polite. If you follow up, that means you think they're somebody.
Evoke the Big Guy: Every religion has tenets that preach compassion for animals. Whether or not local priests pass these on to their flock, humane groups should be prepared to use the religious argument.
Knowing relevant bible passages (and knowing them in Spanish) can be one of the strongest tools to convert the community to your cause.
Find your next great volunteer: Many members of the Latino community feel that they aren't welcome in the white world. So reach out and express a need for their active service as volunteers.
People in the Hispanic community are more eager to join if you invite them properly. It's not enough to just passively put out messages that you need volunteers.
And don't just dump a whole bunch of information on them the first time. It needs to be done little by little, making sure that somebody gets their phone number. And then after a week, you call them to see if they could possibly help. Or even ask them what kind of specific talents they have. Can they sew? Are they good with computers? Can they edit or draw a flyer? Things like that. That way they feel needed.
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