Still at It: Jane Goodall, 90, and Jane Fonda, 86 Are Continuing Their Fight for Our Environment and Our Climate
Two legendary warrior activists, Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE, and Jane Fonda, have grabbed headlines this past week—and we couldn't be prouder.
First, Goodall, the acclaimed primatologist known for her work studying and protecting chimpanzees, turned 90. Her birthday inspired 90 woman photographers to put up pieces for sale, with most of the proceeds going to The Jane Goodall Institute, which aims to protect chimpanzees and their wild habitats. Goodall has been at this work since 1960, and she's not letting anything, including her age, stop her from continuing her efforts. And she hopes we all do the same. "The most important thing is for people to understand that every day we live on this planet, we make some impact," she tells TODAY. "And we can choose. So we should ask questions. This thing we're buying, did it harm the environment when it was made? Was it cruel to animals?" Goodall says our world would be better if everyone asked those questions.
And then, there's Fonda, a woman who has lived thousands of lives in her one. From her brilliant acting career to her dazzling activism, Fonda, who is 86, has proven to be one of the most aware and vocal creatives who walks the talk. She has spoken out for Indigenous and Black rights, against the Vietnam War, and for more hope and humanity. This month, gracing TIME's cover for its 'Earth Awards' issue, Fonda talks to reporter Stephanie Zacharek about her environmental activism. She voices her concerns over our climate today, sparked by the intensity of the 2018 California wildfires and later intensified after she read Naomi Klein's 2019 manifesto On Fire. "This was not a cause," Fonda told Zacharek. "This was not a specific war in a specific place or a specific group of people fighting for rights. This was human civilization we're talking about [...] I have to completely show up with everything I have."
We applaud these two warriors who are radically reframing how we view age, activism, and changing the world.
