During an interview on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” actress Jane Fonda, 85, linked the “climate crisis” to racism.
The interview came as a promotion for her new movie “80 for Brady” where Fonda along side Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Sally Field, star in their new Tom Brady movie.
The actress took the opportunity to talk about her social activism.
“For me, it was learning about the Vietnam War,” Fonda said. “And when I really understood what that was about, I couldn’t not do anything except try to join the movement to stop it.”
Fonda was given the nickname “Hanoi Jane” during her 1972 visit to North Vietnam, where she posed atop an anti-aircraft gun. When asked by Clarkson about her branching out to other areas of activism, Fonda said it wasn’t much of a stretch for her.
“Well, you know, you can take anything – sexism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, whatever, the war,” the actress said. “And if you really get into it, and study it and learn about it and the history of it and everything’s connected. There’d be no climate crisis if it wasn’t for racism.”
Moreno, who was taken aback, asked Fonda to explain.
“Where would they put the s—?” she replied.
“Where would they put the poison and the pollution?” Fonda said. “They’re not gonna put it in Bel Air. They’ve got to find some place where poor people or indigenous people or people of color are living. Put it there. They can’t fight back. And that’s why a big part of the climate movement now has to do with climate justice.”
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Fonda’s climate activism made headlines in October 2019 when she was one of 16 people arrested on the Capitol steps at a Washington, D.C., climate change rally. The actress was charged with “crowding, obstructing or incommoding.”
Fonda had previously told the Los Angeles Times she planned to spend about four months in Washington for a series of sit-ins and rallies after getting approval from Netflix to take time off from her series “Grace and Frankie,” on which she stars with Tomlin. Fonda said she was inspired to rally by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Fonda has since been arrested multiple times for her climate protests.