The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 21, voted to move Jane Fonda Day to April 8 from the previously proclaimed date of April 30, after backlash from critics and Vietnamese Americans upset over the date’s overlap with Black April.
Commemorating the Fall of Saigon in 1975, Black April is observed on April 30, and is a solemn occasion for veterans of the Vietnam War and the 521,100-strong Vietnamese population in California.
In 1972, Fonda made headlines when she protested the war in Vietnam by visiting Hanoi and denouncing the war in the media. The actress was photographed sitting behind a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun. That unfolded while U.S. troops were fighting the North Vietnamese. The photo sparked outrage among veterans’ groups, giving her the nickname “Hanoi Jane.”
Fonda later apologized, saying the photographs were a “thoughtless and careless thing to have done.”
The iconic actress went on to become a two-time Academy Award winner and has starred in numerous classic movies during a lengthy Hollywood career on the silver screen and on TV and Broadway. She is the daughter of the late actor Henry Fonda.
The board issued its original Jane Fonda Day proclamation on April 30, with the actress and environmental activist attending to be recognized for her work on behalf of women, the environment and human rights. But the move was quickly met with criticism.
Assemblyman Tri Ta, R-Westminster, called on the Board of Supervisors in a public comment on May 8 to rescind the proclamation. He authored a letter signed by more than a dozen other legislators and sent to Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey Horvath, saying, “The pain and hurt caused by this decision will surely cause long-term damage to the Vietnamese refugee community.”
Sen. Janet Nguyen, R-Huntington Beach, wrote a letter to Horvath calling the decision “alarming” and “profoundly disrespectful.”
Forty-nine years after the Fall of Saigon, April 30 remains a solemn day for Nguyen, as it is for many of 2.3 million Vietnamese-Americans in the U.S.
“It’s a day that we mourn,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen’s letter called Fonda a “propagandist who supported a Communist agenda in Vietnam.” Fonda’s trip to North Vietnam in 1972 was criticized by many as anti-American and pro-communist.
Responding to the criticism, Horvath and Supervisor Hilda Solis jointly introduced a motion that the board will consider Tuesday. The motion states, “Out of respect for community voices who have spoken out regarding the historic significance of that date, Los Angeles County will recognize American actor and activist Jane Fonda on April 8 during Earth Month.”
The decision to honor Fonda on such a solemn day for Vietnamese Americans wasn’t intentional, said Constance Farrell, a spokesperson for Supervisor Horvath. Rather, Farrell said that date was chosen because it fell on a scheduled meeting where board members routinely issue proclamations honoring people and organizations.
Fonda didn’t return requests for comment sent to her publicists, but she has since apologized for the photos with the anti-aircraft guns that may have been used to shoot down American pilots, saying she never intended to appear to be against American troops, merely against the war.
Ta and Janet Nguyen said they were relieved the board chose to change the date honoring Fonda, but they said it was nonetheless frustrating how easily the leaders of the state’s most populated county forgot the shared experience of Vietnamese-Americans families that escaped an oppressive communist regime.
“I was really, really upset because (Black April) is a really sad day for almost every Vietnamese American here,” said Ta,who recently appeared on the Assembly floorin a dark blue traditional Vietnamese outfit.
Fonda, 86, received a proclamation in her honor from Horvath during a live presentation at the board meeting held in downtown Los Angeles. Fonda, wearing a black beret, delivered brief remarks about political activism and environmentalism. She was greeted by applause and a standing ovation.
“See dad, I wasn’t always bad,” she said. “I’m kind of blown away. I cannot believe there is a Jane Fonda Day.”
Horvath did not specifically mention Fonda’s protest against the Vietnam War in 1972 that caused a huge reaction at the time and can still cause objections among some older veterans. But her motion did reference that the actress was inspired to keep speaking out for peace and justice by her activity during the Vietnam War era.
She credited the actress with starting the One Billion Rising movement in 2012 to end violence against women and members of the LGBTQIA community. “One billion people annually rose not only to end violence against women and girls but to protect the Earth,” Horvath said.
Not everyone at the meeting embraced the honor. In addition to the two lawmakers of Southeast Asian descent, a local resident expressed opposition during public comments.
Ralph Beltran, 68, though not a veteran, said while growing up in La Verne he remembered many men who fought and died in Vietnam. After hearing about the motion for creating a Jane Fonda Day, he strongly objected and asked that the county rescind the action.
“What she did was disgusting. It was a slap in the face to all those veterans who died (in the war),” said Beltran during an interview. Beltran, who lives in Covina, is retired from the L.A. County Parks and Recreation Department.
Staff writer Steve Scauzillo, CalMatters and City news Service contributed to this report.
