Shailene Woodley Opens Up About Recent Arrest in Powerful Essay: 'I'm Not Scared, I'm Not Afraid'

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Shailene Woodley isn't holding back.

The Divergent star opened up about her recent arrest in an essay published by Time magazine on Thursday.


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"I was arrested on Oct. 10, on Indigenous Peoples' Day, a holiday where America is meant to celebrate the indigenous people of North America," Woodley wrote. "I was in North Dakota, standing side by side with Native Americans. You know, those who were here before us. Well, guess what, America? They’re still here."

The 24-year-old actress pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to criminal trespassing and engaging in a riot, after being arrested in North Dakota last week. Woodley and other activists were protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, a $3.8 billion oil pipeline that will span 1,100 miles across the Dakotas and into the Missouri River, after a federal judge rejected the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's request to halt construction.

"Somehow, we've allowed 200-plus years to go by without questioning the western truth we have been told to believe about Native Americans," she stated. "And now, in 2016, in the day and age of exciting technology, which empowers revolution and curiosity, we are still blindly (or maybe not) allowing 200 years of unjust history to continue."

Woodley also urged fans to find their calling, but to understand the importance of protecting the earth.

"Whatever your cause is. Whatever your passion is. Whatever you care about most… none of your efforts or hard-earned opinions will matter when the planet and the people you’re fighting for have nothing left to show for it,” she explained. “Will you choose money, or will you choose children? Will you choose ignorance, or will you choose love? Will you choose blindness, or will you choose freedom?"

"I am not scared. I am not afraid. I am grateful, and I am amazed to be standing by the sides of so many peaceful warriors," she concluded. "Simply feeding off the hype of a celebrity’s arrest ain’t going to save the world. But, standing together will."


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Last month, Woodley also opened up about her non-traditional upbringing and how it has influenced her perspective on a number of issues.

"I have a hard time having political conversations in Hollywood," Woodley told Net-A-Porter magazine. "Most people there are so privileged, they don’t see the 99 percent of America, because they don’t have to. It’s hard for people like that to see another perspective."

Watch the video below for more.