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As she lobbies for Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency, actress and activist Jane Fonda recalled her long history of polarizing political activism.
In 2024, she continues to be a political figure. The Detroit Free Press reported that she “traveled to Michigan to be the keynote speaker at the Heart to Heart benefit luncheon in Franklin, Michigan, and campaigned for the Harris-Walz Democratic presidential ticket in Ann Arbor.” While there, “Fonda entertained the crowd of benefactors during a question-and-answer session with WXYZ-TV (7 Action News.)”
Fonda noted that she has a long history of receiving a mixed reception as she has canvassed for political causes door-to-door.
“I’ve had doors slammed in my face,” she said. “I’ve had people who did recognize me and were delightful. It’s all over the place. I get very nervous. I find it hard. I also find it one of the most wonderful things I can do. I learn so much. I usually tell people: ‘I’m really nervous, I hope you don’t mind. But this is so important, I’ve come anyway.’”
Jane Fonda speaks for the “Destination Tomorrow: A Series Of Inspirational Keynotes” special talk during the 2024 Hollywood Climate Summit at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on June 28, 2024, in Beverly Hills, California. ((Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images))
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Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds made special mention of Fonda’s response to one question that was “about patriarchy in government and whether it’s time for matriarchy instead.”
“No. Unh-uh. No. When we talk about the patriarchy, it’s not to say that what we need is a matriarchy,” the actress responded. “What we need is democracy. The opposite of patriarchy is democracy. Democracy isn’t just political; it’s economic. We don’t have economic democracy. We have to fight for that. We don’t have democracy in the bedroom. We have to fight for that.”
Jane Fonda attends Tribeca X – Celebration Of The Most Famous Line In Advertising at Convene on June 10, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival) (Getty Images )
During the same question-and-answer session, Fonda argued that women have every right to be upset about how “our body agency, is being taken from us.”
“I think women are angry and that’s good. We have a lot to be angry about. We still don’t even have the ERA in our Constitution. We are one of the few countries where women are not in the nation’s constitution. Hopefully, that is going to change soon. Our body integrity, our body agency, is being taken from us. We have every reason to be angry. Let’s demonstrate how angry we are by voting for a woman in November, voting for a strong woman who can stand up for herself and be a great model for us and our children.”
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Fonda, 86, was an Oscar-winning film actress in the 20th century, but rose to an altogether different kind of fame when she embraced activism amid the war in Vietnam, traveling there herself in 1972. Her trip became a scandal when she posed with an anti-aircraft gun, which led her to being nicknamed “Hanoi Jane.”
“I am proud I went to Vietnam when I did,” she said. “I am so sorry that I was thoughtless enough to sit down on that gun at that time and the message that that sends to the guys who were there and their families – it’s just horrible for me to think of that.”
Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Alexander.hall@fox.com.
