Jane Fonda returned to Atlanta last week to raise $1.2 million for her annual Empower fundraiser for the nonprofit she began nearly 30 years ago to reduce teen pregnancy rates in Georgia.
She brought back Atlanta comic Heather McMahan for a third year in a row as emcee before 300 attendees at the Egyptian Ballroom at the Fox Theatre. McMahan spoke with actor Jessica Biel about Biel’s new book “A Kid About Periods,” which demystifies and destigmatizes periods for young girls.
Credit: credit Cindy Lucas-Stone
Credit: credit Cindy Lucas-Stone
Jermaine Dupri, the legendary Atlanta hip-hop record producer, led the after-party. Other attendees included Spanx billionaire Sara Blakely, Live Nation Atlanta concert promoter Peter Conlon and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member Phaedra Parks.
Fonda, who lived in Atlanta throughout the 1990s and 2000s after marrying Ted Turner, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution before the event how important GCAPP has been in helping tens of thousands of girls over the years.
In recent years, GCAPP has broadened its mission beyond teen pregnancy to offer sex education information to both girls and their parents statewide. It’s also why the acronym’s underlying name became the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential instead of the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Teen Pregnancy.
“It’s been going great,” Fonda said. “It’s expanding into more counties as we provide more comprehensive sex ed programs. We are also giving parents health and nutrition education. We have programs on how to have a healthy relationship.”
And while Fonda at age 86 is still very much an activist on numerous political issues, she has always seen GCAPP as a nonpartisan endeavor. “We all aspire to have healthy children,” she said, noting the group doesn’t deal with abortion but rather “knowledge that can keep teens from getting pregnant.”
Fonda also presented the GCAPP Legacy Award to TV and film producer Ginny Brewer and entrepreneur Charles Brewer, the founder of Atlanta-based internet service provider Earthlink. Fonda said she has been friends with Ginny Brewer going back to the 1970s.
Credit: credit Cindy Lucas-Stone
Credit: credit Cindy Lucas-Stone
Fonda said she felt disappointed after the election of Donald Trump, and that supporters of Kamala Harris first had “to take care of themselves and not go down a rabbit hole of despair.” She said she spent a lot of energy this fall on helping fund downballot candidates. She said of 154 candidates she supported, two-thirds of them won.
Trump’s nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr. as the head of the Health and Human Services agency left her with mixed feelings. “Bobby is my friend,” she said. “I don’t agree with his stance on water in fluoride or vaccines or raw milk. I’m concerned. But I care for him and his family. I just hope it’s going to be OK.”
She added: “Greta Thunberg said everybody looks for hope instead of taking action,” Fonda said. “I will do everything I can to take action. That’s a muscle. I use that muscle a lot.”
She had yet to see the new Max documentary “Call Me Ted” about her former husband, who is now suffering from Lewy body dementia. She was very much an active participant in the documentary providing her insights but she doesn’t even remember what she said because she said she participates in a lot of documentaries. Still, more than 20 years after the couple divorced, she said she remains close to Turner.
“I saw him yesterday,” Fonda said. “He’s fine. He’s OK. He’s dealing with a disease. He recently went up to North Georgia to the Soque River to fish.”
About the Author
