Empathy Not Weak: Fonda Delivers Fire, Calls for Unity Against Tyranny
Los Angeles, CA — Jane Fonda, the iconic actress and lifelong activist, used her acceptance speech for the Life Achievement Award at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Sunday night to deliver a powerful rebuke of President Donald Trump and the divisive ideology she says he represents. Fonda, 87, called for empathy, unity, and collective action as antidotes to what she described as a rising tide of tyranny.
“Empathy is not weak or ‘woke,’” Fonda declared to a rapt audience. “‘Woke’ just means you give a damn about other people.”
Fonda, whose career spans over six decades, emphasized the role of actors and storytellers in fostering empathy and understanding. “Acting is about cultivating empathy,” she said. “It’s about turning toward each other, not away. And right now, a whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening — what is coming our way. Even if they’re of a different political persuasion, we need to call upon our empathy, not judge, but listen from our hearts and welcome them into our tent. Because we are going to need a big tent to resist, successfully, what’s coming at us.”
The speech was a fitting capstone to Fonda’s storied career, which has been as defined by her activism as by her acting. From her outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War in the 1970s — which earned her the derisive nickname “Hanoi Jane” — to her recent arrests for climate activism, Fonda has long used her platform to advocate for social justice.
Fonda also used her moment to highlight the importance of unions, particularly SAG, in protecting workers and fostering collective power. “Unlike most unions, which protect workers who produce tangible products, SAG protects actors, whose work is the creation of empathy,” she said.
Her speech drew parallels between the current political climate and past struggles for justice, invoking the words of Martin Luther King Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” She urged the audience to recognize the urgency of the moment, comparing it to pivotal movements like the Civil Rights Movement, apartheid, and Stonewall.
“We don’t have to wonder anymore if we would have been brave enough to walk the bridge, take the hoses, the batons, and the dogs,” Fonda said. “Because we are in our documentary moment. This is it. And it’s not a rehearsal.”
Fonda concluded on a hopeful note, urging the audience to stay connected and fight for a better future. “We must stay in community. We must help the vulnerable. We must find ways to project an inspiring vision of the future — one that is beckoning, welcoming, that will help people believe,” she said. Quoting novelist Pearl Cleage, she added, “On the other side of the conflagration, there will still be love. There will still be beauty. And there will be an ocean of truth for us to swim in. Let’s make it so.”
The speech was met with a standing ovation, cementing Fonda’s legacy not just as an actress, but as a tireless advocate for justice and equality.
#JaneFonda, #SAGAwards, #Activism, #Empathy, #Resistance, #SocialJustice, #ClimateActivism, #UnionStrong
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