Remembering Billy Frank Jr.

May 8, 2014

At Resource Media, we talk a lot about how the messenger is as important as the message. We stress the importance of messengers who come from outside the “green” base; a sliver of society that is perceived, in part correctly, as being too old, too privileged, too urban and too white.

With that in mind, I thought I should add my voice to the chorus of praise for Billy Frank Jr., who passed away this week. Billy first gained fame as an advocate for the treaty rights of Puget Sound Tribes. Over time, though, he became so much more, a champion of conservation who was respected, even treasured across a broad swath of the political spectrum. There have been a number of eloquent tributes to Billy’s life and work; among them a piece by the chair of the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council and another by former EPA Administrator Bill Ruckelshaus.

I have many of my own memories of Billy Frank Jr. going back to my earliest days as a reporter covering the environment in Washington State in the 1980’s. But in keeping with the practical nature of this blog space, I thought I would reflect a bit on Billy’s role as an eloquent messenger and what we can all learn from him.

  • Envison Success: Billy fought some tough battles, but his messages always exuded optimism that problems could be solved. Billy could always describe how a successful outcome would look.
  • Values Trump Facts: Billy was always in close contact with his own values and the values of his people. His messages always reflected those values, something that resonates with people from all backgrounds.
  • Anger and Outrage Don’t Make Your Message Stronger: Billy took on some very serious issues in his time; ones that had huge implications for the survival of his people and their culture. Yet I never saw Billy angry. He showed that being joyful and determined is a powerful combination.
  • Show That You Know How to Listen: One of the keys to Billy’s success was his ability to work with people who held opposing points of view. He treated them with empathy and respect; and that was implicit in the way he talked.

Four bullet points don’t begin to capture what we can learn from Billy Frank Jr.’s life.  But reflecting on his prodigious skills as a communicator, and incorporating what lessons we can in the service of conservation and social justice, is a fitting and practical tribute.

Scott Miller