By Whitney Smith
Daily Bruin Contributor
“Our message is about caring … about equality and the
planet.” Gretchen Wyler Ark Trust
president
Three notorious activists will come together at the Freud
Playhouse on Oct. 14 for a common cause ““ animal rights.
World-famous feminist and co-founder of Ms. Magazine, Gloria
Steinem, will host The Ark Trust’s Evening of Music and
Inspiration, featuring a performance by environmentalist author
Julia Butterfly Hill, best known for her two-year stay atop a
redwood tree that protected it from logging.
“My new hero is Julia,” said Ark Trust president and
former Broadway star Gretchen Wyler. “I saw her performance
in San Francisco and I was absolutely riveted to my
seat.”
The event also features a concert by Grammy-nominated singer
Sophie B. Hawkins.
“On a personal, daily level I save stray animals and find
homes for them,” said Hawkins.
In addition to the fame garnered by her hit song, “Damn I
Wish I Was Your Lover,” Hawkins is known for her activist
efforts to bring animals up to equal status of humans by donating
her time and performances to ending the needless abuse of
animals.
“I think the three of them tie together in a very nice
way,” Wyler said. “That was our plan because our
message is about caring very deeply about equality and the
planet.”
The fight for equality, a core doctrine of feminism,
environmentalism and animal rights, will bring all three movements
together on Sunday night.
“There’s a conscious connection because the same
cultures that have tried to polarize men and women have tried to
polarize humans and nature,” Steinem said.
The event’s proceeds benefit animals orphaned or otherwise
affected by the World Trade Center bombing, as well as the Ark
Trust Inc., a non-profit organization devoted to raising public
awareness of animal protection issues through media figures.
Having the event on a college campus, where it is accessible to
young people, is important to Wyler, who has been an animal rights
activist for almost 40 years.
“The value system is so different today,” said
Wyler. “As a teenager, we never knew about world problems or
were concerned with our environment. I really love the young people
and I’m so excited to be able to see all of this happening
for the Earth.”
Despite increased awareness since the ’60s when Wyler was
“in the closet, alone” about her belief in equality for
all creatures, there is still much more to be done.
“Look in a child’s eyes because that child is
depending on us to do it right,” Hill said.
“They’re going to inherit whatever we leave behind,
whether it’s a mess or a beautiful planet to call
home.”