Jane Fonda: Legendary Actress and Committed Activist Through the Years

Jane Fonda is a legendary figure in the entertainment industry. Her multifaceted career spans from the 1960s to the present day. She has acted in dozens of movies. Some of the most emblematic titles of his career are "Barbarella" (1968) and "Klute" (1971). Most recently, she has starred in the Netflix series "Grace and Frankie."

On September 2, the 84-year-old actress revealed that she had cancer. “My dear friends, I have something personal that I want to share. I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and started chemotherapy treatments." Fonda said in an Instagram post. She reassured his followers that this is a fairly treatable type of cancer and that 80% of people survive. She will undergo a six-month chemotherapy treatment.

"Cancer is a teacher and I am paying attention to the lessons it holds for me," the actress also said. “I will not let cancer stop me from doing everything I can, using every tool. In my toolbox that includes continuing to build this Fire Drill Fridays community and finding new ways to use our collective strength to effect change.”

With the latter, she shows that, even in the midst of his battle against this disease, she maintains her commitment to the environmental activism that she has been exercising for a few years with the Fire Drill Fridays movement.

For decades, Fonda has been involved in the fight for numerous social, political and environmental causes. She has spoken out against the war in Vietnam and Iraq. Feminism and standing up to patriarchy have also been important to her. In this article we will comment on some of the most notorious actions of the actress in her role as an activist over the years.

Protests against the Vietnam War

Since her youth, Fonda has been a supporter of various causes. She joined groups in favor of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and later protests against the Vietnam War. In these she would be quite proactive, she was part of a tour of the United States whose intention was to inform the soldiers about their rights and what awaited them when they arrived in the conflict zone. In 1972 she traveled to North Vietnam on a two-week campaign in opposition to the war. She toured different places, denounced actions of the US Army against the population and denied the accusations of torture of US prisoners.

During this tour, Fonda was photographed sitting and smiling on an aerial weapon that the Vietnamese used against the US military. This had quite an impact. The image angered many of her compatriots, who branded her a traitor and dubbed her Hanoi Jane. The actress apologized for the unfortunate photograph. However, she never regretted his actions in opposition to the war.

Commitment to adolescence and women

Another notable action in Fonda's history has been the financial support for the creation of non-profit organizations. An example of this is the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health, which "is involved in activities that have the potential to create the necessary social change in the context of adolescence and sexual reproductive health," according to the organization.

The main mission of this is to promote scientific knowledge about adolescence and sexuality. “Over the years and across many diverse cultures, I have seen time and time again how important it is for adolescents to be empowered with accurate information about their bodies, their sexuality, and the skills to exercise agency over this aspect of their lives” declared the actress.

In 2005, Jane Fonda, along with Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem, founded the Women's Media Center (WMC). This defines itself as “a progressive, non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to increase the visibility, viability and decision-making power of women and girls in the media and, therefore, ensure that their stories are counted. stories and have their voices heard.”

Protests against climate change

Fire Drill Friday is an initiative that was born in 2019 by Jane Fonda and Greenpeace. Inspired by Greta Thunberg's idea: “This is a crisis. We have to act as if our house is on fire.” This movement for several Fridays organized protests in Washington in front of the Capitol building. Their demands were that political leaders take strong and immediate action in the face of the climate crisis. Throughout these demonstrations, Fonda has been arrested several times. Currently, the actress is still involved in activities in favor of the environment.

As can be seen, Jane Fonda is a figure who has sought to take her influence beyond the screen, joining movements and causes that can have an impact on the world. Her determination in this regard seems to have strengthened over the years. This is indicated by his message to keep fighting, despite being in the middle of cancer treatment.