People: Julia Butterfly Hill

By Julia Scott

We've all heard it before —voting or engaging in the democratic process doesn't change anything. But opting out is the surest way to give others the power to determine your fate —often for the worse. When more of us participate, more creativity, more energy, and more solutions become part of the national agenda.

Julia Butterfly-Hill's latest initiative is the "Activism is Patriotism" campaign. Butterfly-Hill's organization, Circle of Life and a broad coalition of grassroots and public interest groups, including the Collage Foundation, launched the campaign to empower everyday Americans to use their MINDS, MONEY, VOICES, and VOTES to make a difference in this critical election year.

From the women's suffrage and civil rights struggles of yesterday, to the peace and justice movements of today, concerned Americans have proven that activism is not only patriotic —it's essential to making our country and the world a better place. Calling for a VOTE FOR CHANGE, the campaign encourages people not only to register to vote on November 2nd, but also to plug into local grassroots efforts needed to revitalize our democracy Ð after the votes have been tallied and the election is won.

"All too often, Americans feel cynical or apathetic about speaking up and taking action —whether that action is voting, organizing, writing letters, or volunteering with a local cause," Julia explains. "But even the smallest actions have the power to change the world. Each of us holds that power within us."

Through a major advertising blitz in magazines like Rolling Stone, Time, and Organic Style, and ongoing publicity and events throughout the fall, the "Activism is Patriotism" campaign will reach well over 20 million people.

Julia talks about the campaign in her own words below.

Julia Butterfly Hill's Activism is Patriotism Op-Ed:

Citizen activists like me are used to being labeled unpatriotic and sadly sometimes even terrorists. We are accused of disloyalty towards America because we often question the actions of our government and the direction of our country.

Patriotism is defined as a love and devotion for one's country. To me, it conjures a powerful legacy of ordinary people summoning the courage to speak out and take a stand against injustices in America as a show of that devotion.

It is a legacy that includes something so simple as my right as a woman to wear pants, to something as fundamental as my right to vote. Individuals fought for the 40-hour work week and the freedom to unionize. They fought for the right for all people to live in freedom and for our environment to be protected.

Every right we often take for granted today is the result of courageous people taking action, challenging the status-quo, and risking criticism, imprisonment, torture, and even death.

Yet today, patriotism and even our flag has been co-opted to symbolize blind obedience, soldiers caught in a war for oil and power, and endless shopping.

Today it is time to join together to reclaim what it means to be American, which includes a love for our country and our world. As individuals, it easy to feel overwhelmed. Yet, we can find the courage to take a stand, building on the powerful actions of those who came before us. We owe it to them, to ourselves, and to our future.

I lived for 2 years in an ancient redwood tree named Luna to draw attention to the plight of old growth forests. I remain humbled by how small I am as a person working for change, yet I am inspired by how profoundly powerful any of us can be when we find the strength to act on our conscience.

There are people already solving problems in our communities and around the world every day. Are you one of them? Now is the time to courageously speak your conscience and act in the face of criticism and threats by those who believe patriotism is blind obedience.

Circle of Life, the nonprofit organization I founded while living in Luna, has joined with 20 other groups to launch the Activism is Patriotism campaign. We are working to reclaim the concepts of activism and patriotism. We've compiled resources to help each of us use our minds, money, voices and votes, to act on what we believe, and to create change in our country and in the world.

In the words of the old Chinese proverb, "It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness." I urge you to light your candle and become one of millions of people helping create a world of health, justice, and peace for all beings. Your country and your world need you more than ever.

--Julia Butterfly Hill

For more information -- go to wwwactivismispatriotism.org

To learn more about Julia's own roots and how she came to be the grassroots leader she it today, read her interview here.

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