Jane Fonda, two-time Academy Award-winning actress and life-long activist, and Greg Dalton ’86, founder of the radio program Climate One, will be in conversation at Thorne Hall Oct. 1 to discuss Fonda’s life-long commitment to activism and her recent strides in advocating for environmental justice. Their conversation will be facilitated by Occidental student Emma Galbraith (senior) and alum Emma Silber ’23.
The President’s Office will host the event in collaboration with other departments at the school, including Occidental’s Urban & Environmental Policy Institute, Institutional Advancement, and the Office of Marketing & Communications.
Preceding the event, there will be a public reception at the front of Thorne Hall, where Sustainability Fund, Bikeshare, Sunrise Oxy, FEAST Garden and more will have tables for students to get in touch with the climate activism initiatives on campus. Interim Vice President for Marketing & Communications Karolyn Pearson said she encourages students to attend.
“The first 150 people who come to [the reception] will get a really cool tote bag that has the cover of ‘The Occidental Magazine’ sustainability issue on it,” said Pearson.
The conversation will begin at 6:30 p.m. According to Pearson, it will start with a one-on-one discussion between Fonda and Dalton. Pearson said that Galbraith and Silber will join the talk later on, providing student insights and engaging with audience questions.
E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics Peter Dreier said Fonda has used her voice to be an ally for a whole range of social movements, serving as a voice for the unheard. According to Dreier, she popularized the 9-5 Labor Movement, protested the Vietnam War and supported many more political causes throughout her career.
“Her acting career and her activism are intertwined, and she’s very clear about that,” Dreier said. “She always is willing to use her fame and the platform they’ve given her to speak out about social and political issues.”
Dreier said one of Fonda’s early contributions to environmental activism was her involvement in the production of the China Syndrome, a 1979 film about the dangers of nuclear power, which sparked public debate and policy change.
“There was a nuclear power plant that almost exploded in Pennsylvania, which could have destroyed the whole region,” Dreier said. “I’m not even sure your generation knows how controversial nuclear power plants used to be, but that’s how we generated most of our electricity.”
Fonda’s most recent focus has been on environmental activism, Dreier said.
“She decided at some point in her 60s, or maybe in her 70s, that whatever energy and time and fame she still had, she was going to use to be an ally of the climate justice movement,” said Dreier.
The event aligns with a milestone in sustainability at Occidental: the January 2024 signing of the Second Nature Climate Commitment by former President Harry Elam, which established a requirement for the administration to collect data on milestones they seek to achieve to become a green and sustainable campus.
Urban and Environmental Policy and Public Health professor Bhavna Shamasunder said Dalton joined her in the initial stages of planning Fonda’s visit to Occidental.
“I’ve interacted with Jane Fonda’s work,” Shamasunder said. “So, I’ve connected with events she’s been at over the last few years. We thought it was a good idea to highlight Oxy’s [sustainability] work [and] for [Dalton] to get to do something for his alma mater.”
According to their website, Climate One, Dalton’s radio program, invites experts from various groups, such as the United Nations, the fossil fuel industry and environmental advocacy associations, to discuss climate change.
Shamasunder said that Climate One has succeeded in reaching a diverse array of co-hosts and audience members.
“He’s interviewed many, many, many famous people about the climate and global change,” Shamasunder said. “He’s a professional journalist, and that’s what he does for his work, and so I think it’s really great to hear them have a conversation at Thorne.”
Fonda’s legacy will reflect her deep sense of responsibility for the next leaders in activism, Shamasunder said.
“She’s called it her last act, and she wants to build something that’s gonna last beyond her. She’s been able to use her status and her voice to do something that could be bigger than her. This is one of the things that she’s doing — speaking on college campuses,” said Shamasunder. “[Fonda] is a part of the community she lives in, and Oxy students should also become a part of the community they live in.”
Contact Melisa Blau at blaum@oxy.edu
Jane Fonda has blood on her hands
All the American Vietnam veterans think she’s great. Being a global warming tree hugger shows how great of a thinker she is. I’m sure her father and mother would be really proud of her. Especially when she was helping the North Vietnamese military while American soldiers were getting killed, wonder and tortured. She is such a wonderful person.
Brava! This is the most important issue in human history, direly affecting our health, the economy, cost of living(the supply chain, food chain) our children’s future etc… There is nothing more important, and time has almost run out to address this sick elephant in the room.
Trador
U must learn to let go of your anger Robert. What a bitter man.