Over a week after she was arrested while peacefully demonstrating at the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline, Shailene Woodley has released her official statement. The 24-year-old Divergent actress penned an essay for TIME about her frustration with how it took her getting arrested to bring more awareness to the cause she was protesting for, as well as the ongoing issue of ignoring Native Americans and their culture. She also issues a call to action for her fans. It comes a day after she pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges for criminal trespass and engaging in a riot.

"We buy plastic teepees from Toys-R-Us and set them up in our living rooms for children to play in. We grow up romanticizing native culture, native art, native history… without knowing native reality," Shailene writes. She correctly points out that when discussing issues affecting marginalized communities, sex trafficking, and "governmental integrity," Native Americans are often left out of the conversation.

"It took me, a white non-native woman being arrested on Oct 10th in North Dakota, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, to bring this cause to many people’s attention. And to the forefront of news publications around the world." She points out that the hashtag that garnered the most support on social media was not #ProtectCleanWater, #HonorNativeTreaties, or #IStandWithStandingRock, but rather, #FreeShailene. She hopes that people understand that she and thousands of others are fighting to keep the Missouri River clean for the millions of people who depend on it for water. The night before she was arrested, the U.S. Court of Appeals denied an injunction to halt construction of the pipeline, so construction started up again. If constructed, a pipeline leak could lead to contamination of the Missouri River, which is depended on for drinking water.

Ultimately, Shailene wants fans to educate themselves on these environmental issues, and take action on a local, state, and national level, and push for renewable energy initiatives. Read the rest of her essay here.

Related: Shailene Woodley Pleads Not Guilty After Dakota Access Pipeline Protest Arrest

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