Read the full transcript of actress and activist Jane Fonda’s speech delivered at First Amendment Event in New York, June 15, 2026.
INTRODUCTION
JANE FONDA: Thank you so much for being here at this benefit for the Committee for the First Amendment. Thank you. And here we are in New York. A huge congratulations to New York for your historic win with the Knicks.
The committee was relaunched last October to bring together the entertainment industry at this moment when our democracy is in peril.
A Unified Stand for Free Expression
In the face of what’s happening, we need our industry to be unified, activated and unwilling to engage in anticipatory obedience. We stand together in defense of our right to free expression. They come for one of us. By God, they come for all of us. As you saw in the video just now, this isn’t the first time that Americans’ rights have come under attack.
But this time, what is really different from the last century — the attacks are coming from every part of the government: the executive, the legislative, and the Supreme Court. There is a clear effort to destroy our fundamental democratic rights and dramatically retake our form of governance. I think the Un-American Activities Committee right now is coming from the White House.
But you know what motivates this assault on us? This is important to know.
The Victories We’ve Won — And Must Protect
It’s because of all the victories that we’ve won. Victories in civil rights, in social justice. They’re trying to roll them all back. The gains that we made — we are not going back. Those gains, they were hard fought and they made our country better, and we are not going back.
And here’s the thing — those rights are for everyone, everyone, and we must defend them for everyone, even if we don’t agree with them. You know, it’s not about Democrat or Republican or left or right. It’s about right or wrong. And it is wrong. It is wrong for people to be attacked and called terrorists for exercising their rights and freedoms.
A Call to Action
It’s time for Americans all across the country, all across the political spectrum, who care about these freedoms, to stand up creatively, nonviolently, to defend these rights while we can. And we must do this now, because if we don’t, we’re not going to have any rights to defend.
Now, some of you — I see you have flags in your seats — and you know, today is Flag Day, among other things. It’s Flag Day, and we ran out of flags, so 500 of you have flags. Now, I know that not everybody feels that this flag represents them.
And we want to take back our flag. We want to take it back. And we want to fight for a multiracial democracy in which everybody will feel represented. And so perhaps tonight while you sing along, you can wave your flag just to show our intention.
The Nation Is Watching
Americans across the country and hopefully across the political spectrum are watching us tonight. Hundreds of thousands. People were registering for watch parties 20 minutes ago. And I wish that you could see the letters that we’re getting. People are running out whole theaters. All over, every state in the country and Hawaii.
Yeah. It’s because we work with librarians and churches and Indivisible and No Kings, ACLU and so much more. So that from church halls to beer halls, people are watching. Hello out there, we feel you with us. Thank you for joining.
Isn’t it great? Isn’t it great to know how many of us there are? Listen, we are the majority, so let’s act like it. I know times are hard, but if we work together, if we stay unified and know in our hearts that we’re going to win, we will win. Think of the Knicks. I like the Knicks.
A Historic Stage for Freedom
And here’s something else. Right on this stage have been fights for freedom. This is truly a historic Town Hall. It was built over a century ago by suffragists to house their League for Political Education. And they stood on this very stage and rallied the masses about the right of women to vote and many other really important things. Those women changed the Constitution right here, and we’re here to defend it.
Town Hall has also been part of the history of Black Americans — from hosting Marian Anderson’s debut performance in 1935, to Langston Hughes’s advocacy for racial justice in 1944, to Coretta Scott King’s concert for freedom that raised money for the SCLC. This stage — this stage that I am standing on — has served as a platform for both artistry and civil rights activism.
The Power of Music in Movements
And tonight we’re going to have music with our activism. Music is important. I’ve been to a lot of rallies over the decades. And you know, one thing that I’ve observed is that nothing brings people together more powerfully than music. You know, music speaks a truth that’s beyond words.
It’s a primal, unifying force, a common language of resistance and hope. A great speech can inspire a following. A song can define a movement. To read the history of social movements is really to read a songbook — from spirituals during the Civil War and their reinterpretation during the Civil Rights era, to folk music during the Vietnam War. Music has galvanized action, sometimes very cleverly skirting the censorship.
When we listen to a protest song, we don’t just hear the words, we feel the message, right? You know, I’ve never forgotten in the ’60s, hearing Joan Baez sing at a protest of hundreds of thousands of people — they were united and inspired by her music. And in the ’60s and ’70s, I watched the government bend to the will of those people, and we’re going to watch it again.
Silencing Artists — And the Courage to Speak Out
But right now the government and its cronies are routinely violating the First Amendment to silence artists — shuttering institutions like the Kennedy Center, defunding museums and the National Endowment of the Arts, and banning books, canceling TV hosts who speak out.
It’s really bad.