On October 1, more than 550 actors, producers, directors and other artists from the entertainment industry announced the formation of a new Committee for the First Amendment. This is the second life of an organization formed originally in 1947 as the Second Red Scare heated up in the United States. Its goal then was to bring together artists from the industry to stand in solidarity against the state- driven repression they faced. It has the same goal today.
One of the leading actors on the original committee was the legendary actor Henry Fonda. Today Jane Fonda, his daughter, political activist, and legendary actress in her own right, is the face of this new movement. In a recent letter she wrote urging her colleagues to join the new group, Fonda penned truthful words that should terrify us, but should also give us confidence in our power to stop the forces attacking us. We end with her words:
I’m 87 years old. I’ve seen war, repression, protest, and backlash. I’ve been celebrated, and I’ve been branded an enemy of the state. But I can tell you this: this is the most frightening moment of my life…
…When I feel scared, I look to history…I wish there were a secret playbook with all the answers – but there never has been. The only thing that has ever worked—time and time again—is solidarity: binding together, finding bravery in numbers too big to ignore, and standing up for one another…
The stakes are high, and silence is too costly…They’re betting on our fear and our silence.
