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Editor’s Note: Alec Hughes and Audrey Clayton are former Daily staffers. Hughes and Clayton did not contribute to the reporting of this article.
About 300 University of Michigan and Ann Arbor community members gathered at Rackham Auditorium Tuesday evening to hear from actress and activist Jane Fonda and several other speakers discuss climate activism and the importance of voting. The event was organized by College Democrats at the University of Michigan, U-M Students for Harris, the Jane Fonda Climate PAC and a variety of other climate and political organizations.
LSA sophomore Aanna Farhang, College Democrats officer-at-large, introduced LSA seniors Alec Hughes and Adam Lacasse, co-presidents of College Democrats. The pair encouraged the audience to get involved with College Democrats at the University of Michigan and Washtenaw County Democrats.
“We cannot get people out to the polls without everyone mobilizing, without everyone turning out to vote,” Hughes said. “It doesn’t just depend on us at College Dems, it depends on all of us here in Ann Arbor. We need volunteers to keep fighting the good fight, we need to make sure that everyone on campus is registered and has a plan to vote.”
Hughes and Lacasse then introduced Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, who recounted a conversation he had with his 5-year-old daughter about the power of voting. Gilchrist said, while at a park with his daughter, he explained the importance of voting, to which she replied by asking if she could vote for the grass.
“Yes, you can,” said Gilchrist. “That is what we vote for. When we’re choosing the people and the issues to organize and mobilize for, we are voting for people and ideas that will protect our water, that will protect our air, and, yes, that will protect our grass. This little person had the clearest encapsulation that I’ve heard in a long time about why it is so important that we are energized to mobilize to vote for a climate future where the destiny is controlled by the people, not to destroy the climate but instead to support it.”
Michelle Deatrick, national chair of the DNC Climate Council, also spoke at the event and asked the audience to reflect on how climate change has impacted them as Michiganders.
“The climate crisis is not coming — it is here right now,” said Deatrick. “In Michigan, we noticed wildfires, basements and streets flooding over and over again in Ypsilanti and Detroit, crops destroyed in the fields of farmers like me and extreme heat.”
The audience erupted into a standing ovation as Deatrick introduced Fonda, who then took the stage to discuss the importance of supporting Democratic candidates to advance climate policy.
Fonda told the audience she decided to take a break from acting for the year to become more involved with the Harris campaign, but stressed that her advocacy will not end once the election is over. She urged attendees to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, but hold them accountable once in office.
“Kamala Harris provides us with a voice,” Fonda said. “She and Tim Walz provide us with a platform on which we can fight. And so we have to fight because the chances are they won’t do what’s needed because nobody does. … Get her elected and then make her do it.”
After Fonda spoke, the event transitioned into a Q&A session led by Environment and Sustainability graduate student Andrew van Baal, co-president of Student Sustainability Coalition, and Public Policy senior Audrey Clayton, co-president of U-M Students for Harris. Van Baal asked Fonda to elaborate on how to hold elected officials accountable. In response, Fonda emphasized voting for candidates who are willing to listen to the voices of protesters, as well as large-scale organizing after the election.
“No politician will do exactly what you want, unless you force them to,” Fonda said. “We need hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people in the streets, outside in Washington protesting. And then we have to have people elected to office inside, who will listen and feel it in their heart. We have to elect people with empathy. Don’t vote for anybody that doesn’t have empathy and when you vote. … Vote with climate in your heart.”
In an interview with The Michigan Daily before the event, Hughes said the Jane Fonda Climate PAC approached the College Democrats to organize the event in hopes of raising awareness among students about climate issues. Hughes said he and Lacasse hope Tuesday’s audience feels motivated to create change through voting.
“I know we’re very excited to be putting this on because Jane Fonda is such a huge climate activist,” Hughes said. “We’re really hoping that the audience comes away (from the event) feeling kind of renewed, feeling a new motivation.”
LSA junior Demi Baston told The Daily she attended the event to hear Fonda speak about her activism and appreciated that she uplifts the voices of young people.
“I was really just excited to see Jane Fonda,” Baston said. “I really admire her and all of her activism regarding climate change and the rights of minority groups. … I really like that she talked about how much she admires students and how a huge part of why she does what she does is for children and students in general.”
Ann Arbor resident Julie Cohen, who also attended the event, told The Daily she believes events like Tuesday evening’s help unite people behind a common cause and foster a sense of community around shared values.
“I was very excited to see that Jane Fonda, using her fame and passion for (climate change), was coming here,” Cohen said. “(I) was really looking forward to being in physical community with people here, across an age span, and people who were really passionate about fighting for that cause. … I think having more live events where people can be face-to-face to have spontaneous conversations and connect with other people that care about these things is critical.”
Daily News Editor Rebecca Lewis and Daily Staff Reporter Isabel Hopson can be reached at rebeccl@umich.edu and ihopson@umich.edu.
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