ROSE Blog Interviews: Hillary Rettig, author and activist

ROSE Blog: Rikki's Open Source Exchange
Hillary Rettig is an author and progressive activist. Hillary, Stormy Peters, and Deborah Nicholson are helping organize the FSF Women in Free Software Mini-Summit, which will be held September 19th.
Q: Who are you?
A: I'm author of the book The Lifelong Activist: How to Change the World Without Losing Your Way (Lantern Books, 2006), which is a self-help guide specifically for progressive activists – it helps them manage their mission, time, fears and relationships. I'm also a lifelong progressive activist, with my current focus being the free software and animal rights/vegan movements. I have also worked in high tech (journalist, consultant, entrepreneur) and microenterprise, the field of helping economically disadvantaged people start businesses. I have also have four foster children who were refugee foster kids from Sudan, and last year donated a kidney to another activist, which was a fantastic experience. I grew up reading a lot of science fiction, which has led to my always being comfortable with technology, and attended the Clarion SF Writing workshop and published in Asimov's. Right now I'm interested in romance fiction, especially as a vehicle for transmitting values.
Q: What do you currently do in open source? What do you love about it?
A: I informally advocate for it, and support other activists and advocates in their work.
Q: You're speaking to a group of women from other fields who are considering switching careers. Why should they consider moving into an open source-related career? What should they know about the open source environment to prepare them for the transition from a different field?
A: I would be more likely to be speaking with activists from other fields – for example, environmentalists, feminists, animal rights/vegan activists, anti-poverty activists, and anti-globalization activists. I can make a strong argument that anyone who supports those causes should be totally on-board with free/open source software because of the shared cored values of individual freedom and empowerment, decentralization of power, and social justice.
Q: You're speaking to a group of high school students (male and female). Why should they consider exploring career options in open source?
A: Again, my focus is not career options but activism – and the reasons are similar to the above. I would tell high school students that activism is such a tremendous lifestyle, even if you don't earn your living from it. You are constantly learning and growing and connecting, and you meet the most amazing people. There are also many, many ways to do activism, and you can do it in whatever form is comfortable for you, and as part of any lifestyle.
Q: What question do you wish I'd asked? And how would you answer it?
A: Why should free software/open source people go vegan? Because of the shared values mentioned above: If you reject corporate hegemony (or fascism, if you prefer) in your software, why would you accept it on your fork? Not to mention the antibiotics and other contaminants, heinous labor abuse, and heinous environmental degradation. There's lots of information and support out there for people who want to go more veg, and I invite anyone who needs more info to contact me.
__________________________________
If you are a woman in open source, I'd love it if you'd take a moment to answer these interview questions and send your responses to me at rkite AT linuxpromagazine DOT com. If you'd like me to interview a particular woman in open source, drop me a line and let me know who she is and where to find her.
Additional reading:
Interview with Moose (Ohio LinuxFest)
Interview with the GNOME Foundation's Stormy Peters
Interview with Beth Lynn Eicher (Ohio LinuxFest)
Interview with Erica Brescia, CEO of BitRock
Interview with Linux Foundation's Angela Brown
Interview with GSoC participant Kanika Vats
Interview with FSF's Deborah Nicholson
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.
-
Linux Kernel 6.14 Released
The latest Linux kernel has arrived with extra Rust support and more.