The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday named April 30, 2024 “Jane Fonda Day” in recognition of the the actor’s activism for the environment, peace and justice issues, and women’s rights.
Fonda, 86, received a proclamation in her honor from Third District Supervisor and board chair Lindsay Horvath during a live presentation at the board meeting held in downtown Los Angeles. Fonda, wearing a black beret, delivered brief remarks about political activism and environmentalism. She was greeted by applause and a standing ovation.
The iconic actress is a two-time Academy Award winner and has starred in numerous classic movies during a lengthy Hollywood career on the silver screen, and on TV and Broadway. She is the daughter of the late actor Henry Fonda.
“See dad, I wasn’t always bad,” she said. “I’m kind of blown away. I cannot believe there is a Jane Fonda Day.”
Horvath did not specifically mention Fonda’s protest against the Vietnam War in 1972 that caused a huge reaction at the time and can still cause objections among some older veterans. But her motion did reference that the actress was inspired to keep speaking out for peace and justice by her activity during the Vietnam War era.
She credited the actress with starting the One Billion Rising movement in 2012 to end violence against women and members of the LGBTQIA community. “One billion people annually rose not only to end violence against women and girls but to protect the Earth,” Horvath said.
“She is a strong example of how we must all put it on the line to protect our planet,” Horvath said. “Jane has been a tireless champion for environmental activism.”
In 1972, Fonda made headlines when she protested the war in Vietnam by visiting Hanoi and denouncing the war in the media. Fonda was photographed sitting behind a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun. That unfolded while U.S. troops were fighting the North Vietnamese. The photo sparked outrage among veteran groups, giving her the nickname “Hanoi Jane.”
Ralph Beltran, 68, though not a veteran, said while growing up in La Verne he remembered many men who fought and died in Vietnam. After hearing about the motion for creating a Jane Fonda Day, he strongly objected and asked that the county rescind the action.
“What she did was disgusting. It was a slap in the face to all those veterans who died (in the war),” said Beltran during an interview. Beltran, who lives in Covina, is retired from the L.A. County Parks and Recreation Department.
During a 10-minute response, Fonda, born in 1937, reminisced about growing up in Los Angeles with green hills in the winter, beige ones in the summer, songbirds, vibrant oak trees and clean oceans. She said Los Angeles County has lost millions of birds and has smoggy air, with more people getting sick with cancer.
She advocated for keeping the provisions of Senate Bill 1137, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022, that prohibits new oil wells closer than 3,200 feet from homes, schools, nursing homes and hospitals. The law is on hold pending the outcome of a ballot measure in November in which a yes vote upholds the bill’s provisions.
Fonda wants the public to vote for the ballot measure to protect about three million Californians who live near oil wells.
“When you go into the ballot box, have climate in your heart,” she urged.
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