Drawing on her lifelong commitment to activism and her family’s political legacy, Jane Fonda has revived a Cold War–era activist group originally supported by her father, Henry Fonda, the AP reports. Jane Fonda announced the launch of a modern incarnation of the Committee for the First Amendment, which was first established in 1947 in response to Congressional hearings targeting screenwriters and directors—most famously the “Hollywood Ten”—over alleged Communist affiliations.
The new committee’s mission statement, signed by hundreds of figures including Florence Pugh, Sean Penn, Billie Eilish, and Pedro Pascal, emphasizes free expression. For now, the group is focusing on organizing within the entertainment industry, though it encourages the public to follow its activities on Instagram.
“The federal government is once again engaged in a coordinated campaign to silence critics in the government, the media, the judiciary, academia, and the entertainment industry,” the statement reads. “We refuse to stand by and let that happen. Free speech and free expression are the inalienable rights of every American of all backgrounds and political beliefs—no matter how liberal or conservative you may be. The ability to criticize, question, protest, and even mock those in power is foundational to what America has always aspired to be.”
The Fonda family has a long history of activism. Jane Fonda is known for her outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War, while Henry Fonda publicly supported Democratic candidates, including John F. Kennedy, appearing in a 1960 campaign ad. Henry Fonda, who died in 1982, was also a member of the 1947 Committee for the First Amendment, alongside actors and filmmakers like Humphrey Bogart, John Huston, Lucille Ball, and Frank Sinatra.
Although the original committee drew significant attention, it faced challenges and controversy. Bogart and others were accused of Communist sympathies and expressed surprise when some of the Hollywood Ten, including screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, were confirmed to have been members of the Communist Party at various points.
By the following year, Bogart published an essay in Photoplay magazine titled “I’m No Communist,” cautioning that “actors and actresses always go overboard about things” and warning against being “used as dupes by Commie organizations.” Meanwhile, Trumbo and other members of the Hollywood Ten were jailed for refusing to cooperate with Congress and were blacklisted in Hollywood through the 1950s and beyond.