Over the next four weeks, the Charter for Compassion will highlight the extraordinary lives and work of our 2025 Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Awardees—four remarkable individuals who embody compassion as a transformative force in our world.
We begin this week with Dr. Lyla June Johnston, an Indigenous musician, poet, scholar, and activist whose life’s work reminds us that compassion is not only a human virtue but a way of living in harmony with all creation.
Honoring Dr. Lyla June Johnston: Voice, Song & Renewal
We are honored to present Dr. Lyla June Johnston — Indigenous singer, poet, activist, scientist, and visionary — as our first spotlight on this year's Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Awardees. Her art and activism are inseparable: through lyrics, poems, stories, and leadership, Lyla June lifts us into remembrance — that we belong to each other, and to the land.
A Diné (Navajo) and Cheyenne woman, Lyla June’s creative work reaches across communities, generations, and ecosystems. Her writings teach us to see — and to remember — what is already here. In her poem “Wake Up Time,” she writes:
“Show me something unbeautiful,” she says,
“and I will show you the veil over your eyes and take it away.
And you will see hozho all around you, inside of you.”— Wake Up Time
Here, hozho (a Navajo concept of balance, beauty, harmony) becomes not just an idea but a living presence — “every leaf on every tree … every eyelash … every drop of rain.” As Lyla June teaches:
“The easiest (and most elegant) way to defeat an army of hatred
is to sing it beautiful songs until it falls to its knees and surrenders.”
Through these words, we glimpse the depth of her work: it’s not just protest. It is poetry, prayer, relational healing — a reclamation of vision and belonging.
Lyla June is also a movement-builder. She is a core organizer of the Nihigaal Bee Iiná prayer walk across Diné Tah, bringing attention to the exploitation of indigenous lands. She co-founded Regeneration Festival, which invites children in multiple countries to celebrate life, land, and interconnection, and she is active in food-systems revitalization work rooted in Indigenous reciprocity and stewardship.
We are thrilled to also announce that Dr. Lyla June Johnston will be the keynote speaker at our Global Youth Conference on October 29. Her address will call young leaders into the practice of compassion, ecological kinship, and ancestral wisdom in action.
As we look forward to honoring Lyla June at our Threads of Compassion Gala, on November 15, let her own voice guide us. In her words:
“It dawned on me that what’s actually more important than the physical appearance of food systems is the invisible world of the human heart that drives them.”
Join us. Listen. Be moved. Be transformed.
Click/Tap here to learn more about Lyla June & register for the Youth Conference
Click/Tap here to reserve your seat for the Gala
Together, may we see hozho — within and among us.
With warm regards,
Marilyn
