Author: Jane

“You have to stay open, at any age, to finding out: How do I get better?” The look on the face of the tourist riding down the elevator in a Beverly Hills hotel said it all. A mundane journey transformed into an “only in L.A.” moment when she glanced up and realized that one of her fellow passengers was none other than Jane Fonda. “Oh my … God, that’s Jane Fonda,” the woman mouthed to her friend in dramatic fashion — full emphasis on an expletive unsuitable to print — titling her head toward the actress just before the elevator doors opened to the lobby. Love her or hate her — and Fonda is fully aware there are people out there who still fall under the latter category — there’s little denying the polarizing figure continues to rouse people. Fonda, 80, hasn’t slowed down long enough not to. Take this day as an example. She’s in the middle of a press blitz to promote the new HBO documentary that peels back the layers on her lifetime in the public eye — as the daughter of venerated actor Henry Fonda, an Oscar-winning movie star, fitness guru and enduring activist — and her journey to coming into her own later in life. Titled “Jane Fonda in Five Acts” and premiering Monday, the film is directed by Susan Lacy, a veteran of edifying profiles of prominent figures. The film marks Lacy’s second documentary for the network — following last year’s examination of Steven Spielberg — since leaving her post at PBS, where she created the “American Masters” documentary series. Sitting in a corner booth inside the restaurant at this Beverly Hills hotel, Fonda positions her dog, a Coton de Tulear named Tulea, beside her as she talks about the decision to participate in a documentary about her life. “I’ve been approached numerous times,” Fonda says. “But then Susan approached me with it. I had seen the documentary she did on David Geffen, which I thought was very, very well done. And I said to her, ‘My only concern is that you don’t make a documentary focused on movies, and my career as a movie actor. Because there’s a lot more to me than that.’” Much of the terrain the documentary covered is in Fonda’s 2005 autobiography, “My Life So Far,” but as Lacy said in a separate interview: “It’s one thing to write a book and tell these things; it’s another to talk about it with a camera, knowing millions of people are going to see you talking about the difficulty you have getting your father to tell you he loves you.” Besides, as Lacy tells it, “I didn’t begin with the assumption that everybody knows everything about Jane. Not everybody read Jane’s book. If you haven’t, there’s a lot about her you don’t know.” The film digs into Fonda’s personal turmoils — her complex upbringing as the daughter of a neglectful, famous dad and a troubled mother, Frances, who committed suicide when Jane was 12; as well as her own shortcomings as a parent — and her controversial moments, such as her involvement in the Vietnam-era antiwar movement that drew hatred from conservatives and resulted in the nickname “Hanoi Jane.” But there is also focus on her illustrious film career — particularly her standout roles in movies such as “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?,” “Klute,” “Coming Home,” “The China Syndrome,” “9 to 5” and “On Golden Pond.” “It’s hard for me to watch it,” Fonda says of the documentary. “But I thought [Susan] did a good job. You have to stay open, at any age, to finding out: How do I get better?’” Lacy conducted 12 interviews — totaling more than 21 hours — with Fonda over the course of a year at various locations, including Fonda’s home in New York and on the set of her Netflix series “Grace and Frankie.” The film includes a trove of archival footage and features interviews with family and friends — former spouses Ted Turner and Tom Hayden; her son with Hayden, Troy Garity; stepdaughter Nathalie Vadim and adoptive daughter Mary Luana Williams; Robert Redford, Lily Tomlin and best friend and producer Paula Weinstein. (Fonda’s daughter, Vanessa Vadim, and her brother, Peter, declined to participate.) “It’s such a personal film,” Lacy says, “I didn’t go after costars or that sort of thing. I wanted to focus on people with whom she has a close relationship, who could be revealing in some way.” continue reading: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-jane-fonda-hbo-20180922-story.html

I know, I know, it’s been waaaaay to long since I wrote here. I am so grateful to my social media community for not getting too upset with me. I’m hoping I can just jump back in like one does with old friends. I want to give you a thumbnail update on all that I’ve been doing and thinking. As I look back over the months since my last post I realize what an interesting life I am blessed with. I want to say that I never cease reminding myself of the privileges that allow me to do what I do, privileges such as being white, being financially comfortable, being famous and being healthy. I take none of this for granted. I try to use what I have to help make things a little better for those less privileged. So, we finished Season 5 of “Grace & Frankie” and I feel it is a funny season that folks will relate to. The final episode is a humdinger!!! When it was over, I headed to Washington, DC, to lobby with the National Association of Women Farmworkers for overtime pay and the National Alliance of Domestic Workers for A Bill of Rights. This was on behalf of the #Times Up Movement. One special person I met with was the iconic Rep John Lewis. I first met him back in 1973 when I was in D.C. lobbying with Tom Hayden for an end to the Vietnam War. I’ve been at this a long time. No sooner did I get back than Lily and I hit the road, traveling to Michigan again in support of the One Fair Wage ballot initiative that would raise the minimum wage for everyone including tipped workers and allow them to keep their tips. ROC, Restaurant Opportunity Centers United, is the organization behind all the One Fair Wage efforts (we’re also fighting for this in New York and D.C.) In the 7 states that have this one fair wage, sexual harassment and poverty have been cut in half. The Republican legislature in Michigan under pressure from the powerful “other NRA” (National Restaurant Association) has tried to keep us off the ballot though yesterday we learned that the official committee that determines such things ruled that we made it, now as I am writing this, I heard that they are trying to repeal the One Fair Wage measure— kick us off the ballot for some rigged reason We’re prepared for more political shenanigans from the GOP but we’re prepared to fight. We know that folks in Michigan will want to vote themselves a raise and we’ll defend that. I’m planning to go back in October to rally voters. I know there are people who say celebrities shouldn’t get involved and they will attack our ballot measure saying that people outside Michigan are too involved. But look what we’re up against: the NRA is spending tens of millions of dollars to defeat us, as is the Republican Legislature. It never stops and there’s no reason that people who don’t live in Michigan shouldn’t help people who are suffering poverty level wages and terrible sexual harassment wherever that occurs. Too many people spend too much time worrying about whether the chicken they’re eating is free range but don’t give a thought about the people who are serving us our food! Speaking of Michigan, I attended the Traverse City Film Festival started 14 years ago by Michael Moore. My HBO documentary, “Jane Fonda In Five Acts” was screened there and won the Best Doc prize. I had so much fun spending time with Michael both at the on-stage interview he did with me and during our private dinner. He does so much for Michigan and the festival has completely revitalized Traverse City which is now a lovely, thriving town on the banks of Lake Michigan. I was also in Chicago at a Leadership Conference held bi-annually for the staff of Working America, the community arm of the AFL/CIO. I had an hour-long meeting with 8 of the canvass leaders and was deeply moved and impressed by their stories. They are a diverse group—latinix, black, gay, White, Muslim, Jewish, Protestant. Mostly young. Most saw the canvassing jobs that were advertised on Craig’s List as a “just for a few months” thing. But then they had the experience of knocking on doors and changing people’s minds who started off not wanting to talk to them at all because of their race or because the person is a Trump supporter. They told me this was when they decided canvassing was a job they wanted to do forever. They knew they were making a difference and they all realize the importance of speaking directly with people who feel unseen and unheard. They listen to what people say is important to them and why. Health care, coverage of existing pre-conditions, schools, jobs, Social Security—these are top of list most often. Then the canvassers tell the person something they don’t know such as how the current administrations health care plan does away with pre-condition coverage or how his new tax plan benefits the already rich. Many people become members of Working America right then and there which means they will receive mailings relevant to their issues, and, if it’s during an election cycle, which candidate supports the things they think are important. The canvassing jobs are well paying, with benefits and year-round, not just during elections. This kind of on-the-ground, face-to-face work is essential. We used to do that. The Democratic Party used to do this. Complacency and a new focus on tech and other constituencies changed that and, in its place, the Koch Bros financed robust grassroots organizing that has resulted in the GOP gaining majorities in state legislatures and gubernatorial seats across the country. This is why I put my time, my energy and my money with organizations that do this ground work like ROC United (Restaurant Opportunities Centers) and Working America. While at the Working America conference, I met with Christine Campbell, President of the American Federation of Teachers in West Virginia who recently led the amazing teachers’ strike. She’s so smart and brave.  I have also been out in communities in Los Angeles together with Black Lives Matter and White People 4 Black Lives, gathering signatures for a Reform L.A. Jails ballot initiative to stop the spending of $2.5 billion to build a mental health jail (total oxymoron, right?) and, instead, use the money to build proper mental health facilities and housing for the huge homeless in L.A. We mostly went to farmers markets on weekends to collect signatures and I can testify to how helpful it is to do this work when you have a hit TV series and a hit movie behind you!! People really wanted to see what I was doing and talk to me. We’ll be on the L.A. ballot in March. I went up to Sacramento, the capital of California, to lobby for ending forced arbitration. People who are not in a union are made to sign this agreement as a prerequisite for getting a job, along with non-disclosure agreements. What these do is prevent the worker from having their complaints brought before a court of law and being heard in the public sphere (complaints can range from sexual assault to wage theft, being fired for pregnancy, etc). This is how serial perpetrators and bad bosses can continue undetected. This too was part of the #TimesUp Movement. I was also lobbying with the National Association of Domestic Workers to demand overtime pay. This bill just passed the Senate. We’ll see of Gov Brown signs them into law. I spoke in a back yard in L. A. to people interested in canvassing. There are four congressional seats within two hours of Los Angeles where the Democratic candidates are outstanding. I am doing all I can in the weeks and months leading up to this midterm election Nov 6th. In all my 80 years, I don’t remember an election this consequential. We must stop the policies that are benefitting the rich and hurting the working class and poor. We must stop the pillaging of our lands and natural resources and the treating of our allies as if they were our enemies and our enemies as if they were on our side. We must try to elect people who want to change the way our economy works, the way our criminal justice system deliberately targets people of color and the poor and all the ways that we are being pitted against each other. And we must not allow someone to be appointed to the Supreme Court who would oppose bringing the president to justice if and when he is found guilty of crimes. If I wasn’t doing all this I don’t think I’d be able to sleep. There’s nothing like action and activism to salve the anxiety of being in the midst of an existential crisis. That and seeing all the amazing women who are running for office and winning and the young people who have taken it upon themselves to finally demand sensible gun legislation. It is they who will change the landscape of this country.

A few weeks ago, the United State of Women’s Conference was held here in Los Angeles and I spoke to the 6,000 women together with Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter. This is how I started my speech: “When Trump was elected and the toxic bedrock of White Supremacy in this country was exposed, I realized something new. I’ve been involved with progressive movements most of my adult life, but because I’m White, the lens through which I had been looking at race was too shallow. So I’m studying. It takes more than empathy, it requires intention to even begin to comprehend what people of color, no matter their class, face every moment of every day, and how much privilege, quite unconsciously, is enjoyed by those of us born White–even the poorest of us.” After I spoke, Patrisse gave a very moving speech about mass incarceration and her brother who suffers from mental illness and was incarcerated and brutalized. Here are the names of some of the books I have been reading in my effort to more deeply understand race and racism: “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander, “When They Call You a Terrorist” by Patrisse Cullors, “Between the World and Me,” “The Beautiful Struggle” and “We were Eight Years in Power” all 3 by Ta-Nehisi Coates and the great Zora Neale Hurston’s 1927 book “Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo’” which has just been published with a forward by Alice Walker. Fascinating and moving. Hurston interviewed a former slave who remembers his life in Africa before he was taken prisoner and shipped to this country. How rare is that? There are more but I’ll stop there. It has become clear to me as I study, that multiracial coalition-building is what the ruling class, the corporate elite, are the most afraid of. Right before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King was organizing a multi-racial Poor People’s March on Washington to bring economic justice regardless of race. This is what Reverand William Barber and his Poor People’s Campaign is attempting right now. It is this fear of multiracial unity that explains why Trump and his surrogates play the racist card at his rallies and in his policy proposals. Poor and working class Whites must be made to believe that they have privileges and advantages not afforded Blacks. That is why affirmative action, Food Stamps and Welfare are so hated by Whites who have lost their union jobs and sense of identity. They are made to believe people of color are cutting in line ahead of them. This belief is what is pushed by Trumpism. It’s the age old divide and conquer strategy. What we need to do now is stop turning a blind eye to what’s really happening and help each other understand how racism has caused centuries-long suffering and severe disadvantage to people of color that continues today, particularly for African Americans who Whites were made to believe were not even human in order to justify slavery while still calling ourselves a Democracy. Though it’s more subtle now, Blacks continue to be prevented from enjoying the same rights and privileges Whites do. It is our colorblindness and, dare I say our willful laziness that keep us from seeing the segregated, horrifically unequal schools, the communities redlined by banks to keep Blacks out, the deliberately created food deserts and segregated ghettos where militarized police round up Black and Brown people for drug crimes that Whites are forgiven for. When the Civil Rights Movement made gains in the ‘60s the white power elite decided to create a new Jim Crow that would not appear racist. They called it the War on Drugs. In the ‘70s Nixon’s National Domestic Policy Chief, John Ehrlichman, said this: “We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be black, but by getting the public to associate the blacks with heroin and then criminalizing them heavily, we could disrupt their communities. Did we know we were lying? Of course we did.” In Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow” we learn that in 2 short decades, between 1980 and 2000, the number of mostly Black and Brown people incarcerated in our nations prisons and jails soared from roughly 300,000 to more than 2 million. By the end of 2007, more than 7 million Americans, one in every 31 adults, were behind bars, on probation, or on parole. This huge increase was not because crime increased but because of new laws and new instructions to police officers and prosecutors that result in extraordinary persecution and violence against people of color while appearing to be race-neutral. This has become the way to create a racial caste without ever appoearing racist. Every year more than 650,000 people are released from prison, including people with mental disorders and those whose only crime is drug addiction or possession of a small amount of recreational drugs. Again, these mostly Black and Brown people are “barred from public housing by law, discriminated against by private landlords, ineligible for food stamps, and find themselves locked out of the mainstream society and economy permanently.” Following incarceration unemployment is 50% higher for African-Americans and Latino men than white men. They did not create these conditions for themselves. The meager public assistance they receive can hardly be considered “cutting in line.” Whites have no reason to feel entitled. Our privileges were provided us at the expense of other human beings. To begin to heal from this cancer that continues to metastasize within our country, we need to acknowledge the historic harms that have been suffered by communities of color and the racism in the criminal justice system that continues today. A rising tide doesn’t lift all boats, not the ones tied to the bottom of the ocean by racist laws and policies. What we must admit is that the far right, the Koch brothers, the Trumpists, the Steve Bannons and, yes, even some neo-liberal- Wall-Street-apologists who make sure Blacks and Browns are marginalized are the same ones who also hurt the poor and White working class by weakening labor unions, not coming up with new job development and infrastructure improvements in areas where mines and factories have closed. Once we can see that we share a common enemy, we can truly begin to unite to fight for social, political and economic equality. Sure, some people are deeply racist and some love Trump because they think his policies will make them richer. But there are those millions of other Americans who believed his promises of jobs, of a better life, better health care, better schools. Ask them how they feel that’s turned out for them. Help them understand that there is strength in numbers and if all the people, of all ethnicities, races and genders who feel screwed and forgotten join together with a vision of a future worth fighting for we can achieve it.

(I’m not old, I’m perennial) It’s the last day of 2017 and I’ve been 80 for 10 days. Here’s what’s bad about being 80: I can’t run I can’t ski It’s hard handwriting thank-you letters which is the polite way to do it (osteoarthritis is responsible for all the above) Here’s what’s good about being 80: People are solicitous, asking if I want to sit. They open bottles for me and let me go first. I don’t get groped or harassed I can fall back on “Well, I’m old,” to justify mistakes My strong muscles which have always been there have suddenly become a remarkable anomaly to people who hug me I’m viewed as an elder (even though I feel like a newbie) I can look back over 8 decades and hence can remember: When song birds and empty spaces were plentiful When there were only 2 billion people in the world and consequently less stress, clean air and water, way less traffic, more opportunity to pull yourself up by your bootstraps When it was safe for a kid to play alone, outside, in the street or the forest All the challenges and tradegies that I survived (hence, I know I can again) How to make lemons into lemonade & not sweat the small stuff Also, I’m less scared of embracing uncertainty I’ve had time to learn to forgive and the time to reflect and learn from my experiences I know what I need so I can jettison what is unnecessary I’m less susceptible to stress (“This too shall pass”) I no longer hold grudges (with the exception of Henry Kissinger and Dick Cheney both of whom I still believe should be tried for crimes against humanity) I’ve learned to be more tolerant and patient I have less ego stake in outcomes I know there are many things that I will never do or do again and it doesn’t matter (start a new business, go to Myanmar, drive a Ferrari, learn to sail, get married, etc) So, for me, there’s way more positives than negatives about being smack dab in the midst of oldness. But then, I have my health. One more thing: There has never been a time in my 80 years when I have felt what I’m feeling today: utter terror that our country is being taken into a possible dictatorship, with a KGB-type intelligence/surveillence; that poor people, people of color, formerly well-paid blue collar working people, will never again be able to afford good schooling, a home, health care, freedom from violence and stress and that too many won’t even know it’s happening because they aren’t getting true news/facts. 2017 showed us—at least those of us who are still able and willing to access truthful news—that the threats to our democracy and to our environment are far worse than any of us dared imagine. The seeds of fascism are all around us. So my plea to those who follow me on social media is to harness every ounce of your abilities, imagination and courage to do all that you can, in collaboration with others, to stop the destruction of Democracy and civil society. Join others in non-violent efforts not just to resist but to transform the social and political landscape. I am doing it by working with groups on the ground in various parts of the country who go door to door, finding out what people are worried about and helping them understand why those now in power do not intend to help them. Quite the opposite. There are so many people and organizations out there working to educate potential voters and to build long-term people’s movements with the aim of establishing a vibrant, democratic civil society. We must make it possible for single mothers to earn a living wage and have access to affordable child care; do away with mass incarceration and the privatization of prisons; sexual harassment and violence against women must end; former unionized workers must be retrained for the new economy and given jobs not promises; student debt must be forgiven and schools must be improved for all young people; our public lands must be protected and all forms of extraction halted; racism must be made a shameful (and acknowledged) part of our past. There is so much to be done and all of it is possible if all of us can muster the will and determination to fight back against what’s happening. Greed and selfishness are not the pillars of a stable society so let’s be fierce in this New Year.

Hi all my wonderful friends. I am so sorry that I haven’t posted a blog in forever and hardly even tweeted. I hope you are all well and that wherever you are, you had a Happy Thanksgiving. I did, for sure. Here’s what I said at the dining table as we went around, each saying what we are grateful for: I wake up every morning feeling grateful that I live here and not in Syria. I’m grateful for my healthy mind and body. I feel deep gratitude for the brave actresses who’ve come forward about their abuse at the hands of Harvey Weinstein. This has opened the floodgates and women are finally being heard and believed. I’m well aware that this happened because the actresses are white and famous but it feels like a tipping point when ALL women and girls and boys who have suffered sexual harassment, abuse and assault will be heard. There are many people throughout the entertainment industry who are working hard to make sure there are laws and policies that will prevent this from happening again. We stand in solidarity with the women farmworkers, waitresses and office workers, people of color, with disabilities, different religions and sexual orientations that make them more vulnerable if they speak out. So much has been happening to me and around me…good and bad. We all know the bad so I won’t go into that. The good—for me—Is that my children and grand children, sons and daughters-In-law, are doing well, healthy and seemingly happy. The weather is warm where I live (cold doesn’t suit my bones anymore). I’m celebrating my 80th soon and marvel at how terrific and energetic I feel. My son was rubbing my back last night as we watched TV with friends and he said, “Wow, Mom, You’re got really strong back muscles.” Made me feel really good. Let’s pray we can all stay strong and determined to prevail against the forces of darkness. I’ll try to do better in the blogging department. Love to all. xx

Before this Sundays Emmys, Lily and I spent the week in Michigan with activists working to advance the One Fair Wage Campaign. I hope you will take the time to learn more about our efforts by visiting the website www.onefairwage.com Here are articles and video from a great week: FOX 2 DETROIT: http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/fox-2s-one-on-one-with-jane-fonda-lily-tomlin-on-minimum-wage FOX 2’s one-on-one with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin on minimum wage A pair of legendary Hollywood actresses visiting Michigan this week to promote a ballot proposal that would change Michigan’s minimum wage system. THE WOMENS MEDIA CENTER: http://www.womensmediacenter.com/news-features/jane-fonda-and-lily-tomlin-call-out-subpar-wages-for-women-workers Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin call out subpar wages for women workers Fast food workers put a national movement called the Fight for $15 on the map in November 2012 when they walked out of chain restaurants across New York City to …