Actress and environmental activist Shailene Woodley remains committed to fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), even if that meant spending Thanksgiving protesting. When asked about her choice to continue to protest — despite being arrested for trespassing on the site of the proposed pipeline in October — Woodley became teary-eyed over the treatment of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, as well as all indigenous people.
In a video posted by TYT Politics, the Fault in Our Stars actress draws a connection between the current conflict over the DAPL and the false narrative of Thanksgiving.
“Thanksgiving was founded on a massacre,” she said of the holiday. “And yet we’re here [at the DAPL protest site] with these cops, with snipers with rubber bullets, and... I’m just sick of it. There is no excuse. Where is everyone? Why isn’t everyone standing up and saying something?”
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Protesters' primary concern is the potential damage the DAPL could bring to the water supply of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. In the TYT Politics video, Woodley pointed to the hypocrisy of moving the pipeline to the reservation from its original placement in Bismarck, ND, a predominantly white area. When critics from that community voiced their concerns, the DAPL was moved, but it seems that the Native American community and its allies are not being met with the same respect.
Comments on the Facebook video have been mostly positive, praising the actress for speaking out about the environmental issue. However, some criticized her for not touching on all of the facts about why the pipeline was moved from Bismarck, which included the need for more space than Bismarck was able to provide.
In addition to protesting at Standing Rock, Woodley gave a moving speech about the importance of environmental activism at the 26th Annual Environmental Media Association Awards last month. Though she may be best known as an actress, she is using her Hollywood platform to spread a message near to her heart.