Jane Fonda takes political stand at the SAG Awards: “Woke just means you give a damn about other people”

Posted On February 24, 2025February 24, 2025

Jane Fonda has a long history of speaking up about issues of politics and social injustice. As she was honoured with the ‘Life Achievement’ award at the SAG awards, that legacy shone through in her impassioned speech, urging people towards empathy.

As an actor and an activist, Fonda’s entire decades-long career as a performer has been matched with an enduring bravery to tackle politics. Whether it be standing against the Vietnam War in the 1960s, or even being arrested over and over in 2019 to draw attention to the climate crisis, Fonda has always used both deeds and words to stand against causes and conflicts she disagrees.

2025 is no different as the performer used her acceptance speech at the SAG to urge both her fellow actors and viewers at home alike to use empathy as a tool to rally against the rise in tyranny.

“A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening,” she said, referencing the policies and cuts put into motion by Donald Trump as his second term begins. She continued, “Even if they’re of a different political persuasion, we need to not judge but listen from our hearts.”

Her speech was a call for kindness and empathy as she said, “What we, actors, create is empathy. Our job is to understand another human being so profoundly that we can touch their souls.” She continued, fighting directly against MAGA followers who use the phrase ‘woke’ as if it’s a bad thing as she stated, “And make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke. By the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people.”

As her speech went on, she pointed out the severity of the moment people find themselves in currently, especially urging her peers in the room, who are all in a position of power, to stand up and stand for something. She said, “Have any of you ever watched a documentary of one of the great social movements — apartheid or civil rights or Stonewall — and ask yourself, would you have been brave enough to walk the bridge? We don’t have to wonder anymore. We are in our documentary moment. This is it, and it’s not a rehearsal!”

Concluding her speech with both a warning to heed and a call to action, she told her fellow actors, “We mustn’t, for a moment, kid ourselves about what is happening. This is big-time serious, folks. Let’s be brave. We must not isolate. We must stay in community. We must help the vulnerable. We must find ways to project an inspiring vision of the future.”

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