Jane Fonda Gets Candid On Her 'Woke' History, Celebrating 60 Years Since Vogue Cover

Top Jane Fonda photographed by Irving Penn, Vogue, July 1959; Bottom Fonda in 2018, photo credit Getty Images. via Vogue US

Bridget Read interviews Jane Fonda about 60 years of activism , looking totally fab in her 80s and her first Vogue cover shot by master artist Irving Penn in July 1959.

We learn that Fonda actually worked for Irving Penn for a year, acting as his assistant at age 19. How thrilling! The Vogue cover shoot was a year before the actor’s first film ‘Tall Story’. She was wearing lipstick-color gloves available at Saks Fifth Avenue and a “spice brown” rinse in her hair.

Jane was studying at the time with Lee Strasberg and assigned to the Eileen Ford Agency as a model to pay for her acting classes. “If you had told me at that time that at age 81 I would again be on the cover of Vogue, I would’ve told you you were out of your mind, that that was completely and utterly impossible,” Jane tells Briget Read. Fonda continues:

My image of women was that they were victims and not very powerful, and my dad didn’t encourage me, or make me feel I was attractive. I mean, everything was a surprise to me. I was surprised that I got cast in a movie. I was surprised that I was ever accepted as a model at Eileen Ford’s agency and surprised that I ever ended up on the cover of Vogue. So my life has just been one big surprise for me.

It fact it wasn’t Jane Fonda’s visit to Angela Davis in the Marin Couny Jail that propelled her into activism. Nor was it her ‘radical’ husband Tom Hayden’s state assembly campaign in California. Fonda became an uber progressive in Paris, hanging with American GIs who had served in Vietnam. They had become resistors and gave the blooming model a book to read by Jonathan Schell called ‘The Village of Ben Suc’. There was no turning back after reading that book.

This interview gets better and better, as Fonda and Read discuss what it is to be ‘woke’. Read on at Vogue.

How Women in Kenya Mobilized for Peace After Surviving Violence

How Women in Kenya Mobilized for Peace After Surviving Violence

Women are rarely represented adequately at peace negotiations yet they make up half the population of any country in conflict or at war. This remains the case despite increasing global policy awareness on how women are affected by conflict and the importance of including them in peace and security processes. For instance, the UN’s landmark framework on women, peace and security reaffirms the important role women play in the prevention and resolution of conflicts.

Women’s contributions are also underscored in African peace instruments like the Maputo Protocol and Kenya’s National Action Plan.

But how do women in conflict actually engage in peacebuilding? There is considerable academic literature on the links between gender and peace but the lived experiences of women peace builders are not well captured.

Serena Williams Shares The Naked Truth In Essay + Images By Alexi Lubomirski For Harper's UK

Serena Williams Shares The Naked Truth In Essay + Images By Alexi Lubomirski For Harper's UK

Serena Williams is a lioness, covering the August 2019 issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK for ‘Serena Unretouched: The Naked Truth’. Miguel Enamorado styles the black goddess in unadulterated, head-to-toe glam for images by Alexi Lubomirski./ Hair by Vernon François; makeup by Tyron Machhausen

The Forgotten History of Segregated Swimming Pools and Amusement Parks

The Forgotten History of Segregated Swimming Pools and Amusement Parks

By Victoria W. Wolcott

Summers often bring a wave of childhood memories: lounging poolside, trips to the local amusement park, languid, steamy days at the beach.

These nostalgic recollections, however, aren’t held by all Americans.

Municipal swimming pools and urban amusement parks flourished in the 20th century. But too often, their success was based on the exclusion of African Americans.

As a social historian who has written a book on segregated recreation, I have found that the history of recreational segregation is a largely forgotten one. But it has had a lasting significance on modern race relations.

Swimming pools and beaches were among the most segregated and fought over public spaces in the North and the South.

Food Is Medicine: How US Policy Is Shifting Toward Nutrition for Better Health

Food Is Medicine: How US Policy Is Shifting Toward Nutrition for Better Health

In 2019, could U.S. government leaders resolve to improve healthier eating as well, joining public health experts in seeing that food is medicine?

In 2018, Congress initiated a series of actions that represent a shift away from placing the full responsibility – and blame – on individual people to make their own healthier choices. These actions also show a growing recognition that many stakeholders – including the government – are accountable for a healthier, more equitable food system. This shift in thinking reflects an understanding that government can and should play a role in improving the diet of Americans.

As faculty members at Tufts University, our expertise spans clinical medicine, nutrition science, public health, policy analyses, Congress, federal agencies and government programs. It’s clear to us that the time is right for meaningful policy action to leverage food as medicine.

Karlie Kloss Talks Leaving Victoria's Secret + Joining Judaism In British Vogue August Cover Story

Karlie Kloss Talks Leaving Victoria's Secret + Joining Judaism In British Vogue August Cover Story

Superstar Karlie Kloss covers the August 2019 issue of British Vogue, lensed by Steven Meisel. Karlie wears a Versace sweater and Bulgari jewelry styled by Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful, who chooses a fabulous gown by Marc Jacobs for one preview shot and Dior checks for another.

Now for the real story, which is Karlie delivering a loving gut punch to Victoria’s Secret, its second in two days. On Monday, NIKE made it known that they now sell more bras in North America than any other retailer.

New Abortion Ban Lawsuit Places Black Georgians Squarely at the Center of the Fight

New Abortion Ban Lawsuit Places Black Georgians Squarely at the Center of the Fight

A new lawsuit filed last week could eventually force the U.S. Supreme Court to examine how laws that attack abortion access disproportionately affect Black women and other women of color.

Centering the conversation on some of the state’s most vulnerable people was the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU’s) motivation for naming SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging HB 481, Georgia’s six-week abortion ban.

“I think the ACLU was very intentional,” Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong, told me in an interview. “The way that they wanted to approach this particular lawsuit was to make sure it was rooted in reproductive justice.”

Reproductive justice centers “three interconnected human rights values: the right not to have children using safe birth control, abortion, or abstinence; the right to have children under the conditions we choose; and the right to parent the children we have in safe and healthy environments.” Black women coined the term in 1994.

Padma Lakshmi Bakes Fourth of July 'Close the Camps' Red-White-Blue Flag Pie

Padma Lakshmi Bakes Independence Day 'Close the Camps' Red-White-Blue Pie

‘Top Chef’ host Padma Lakshmi celebrated the Fourth of July, creating her own fireworks with her special American flag pie. Lakshmi decorated her Independence Day pie with an American flag and the phrase “Close The Camps.” In another tweet, she urged people to “contact your representatives tomorrow and demand they #CloseTheCamps”, referencing the federal facilities that are holding undocumented migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border.

In March Lakshmi used her own immigration story to call out Trump on Noah Trevor’s ‘The Daily Show’.

“I’m an immigrant,” the award-winning India-born cookbook author told host Trevor Noah as they discussed her advocacy for immigrants as an ambassador for the American Civil Liberties Union and the United Nations.

I really came here with my mother, much like these people at the border with hardly anything. What you have to understand is that, if a parent takes a child on a dangerous journey, puts them on their back, is willing to walk across deserts, that’s because the place they’re leaving is worse and more dangerous, and I just think we have plenty to share. And if you look at all the contributions that immigrants have made, you’re basically looking at what America is today, in whole, full stop.

AOC notes that four months later, everyone now refers to the Mexican border crisis as a ‘humanitarian crisis’. When Lakshmi spoke with Trevor Noah in March 2019, she said:

There’s no crisis. There’s no crisis. The only crisis is that we have a lunatic with a lot of power. That is the only crisis.

On Wednesday the 9th Circuit of Appeals voted 2-1 to deny a request from the Justice Department for an emergency stay of a lower court judge’s injunction blocking the Trump administration attempts to seize funds to build Trump’s wall by taking money from already in place to fund border projects in Arizona, New Mexico and California.

Leonardo DiCaprio Folds His Climate Change Foundation Into New Earth Alliance

Leonardo DiCaprio Folds His Climate Change Foundation Into New Earth Alliance

Environmentalist and Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio is the narrator and co-producer of Ice on Fire, an ‘eye-opening’ look at ‘never-before-seen solutions’ to climate change.

‘Ice On Fire’ first aired on HBO June 11 and is perhaps coordinated with another major decision by DiCaprio to fold his environmental charity, The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, into the new Earth Alliance.

As a co-founding chair, the actor will join forces with Laurene Powell Jobs and her Emerson Collective and billionaire investor Brian Sheth, who is a co-founder and president of the private equity fund Vista Equity Partners and also board chair of the Global Wildlife Conservation.

Botswana Has An Elephant Poaching Problem, Not An Overpopulation Problem

Botswana Has An Elephant Poaching Problem, Not An Overpopulation Problem

The Botswana government recently reintroduced trophy hunting after a five-year moratorium. It did so on the pretext that Botswana has “too many elephants”.

But a new academic paper shows that this argument doesn’t hold.

The researchers compared the results of two aerial surveys in northern Botswana. The first was conducted in 2014, the second in 2018. Both were conducted during the dry season. This allowed for easy detection of changes over time.

A 94,000km2 area was studied and the elephant population estimated at 122,700 in 2018. This was roughly similar to the 2014 numbers.

But comparing results from the 2014 and 2018 aerial surveys, the scientists found that the numbers of elephant carcasses have increased, especially for newer carcasses dead for less than roughly 1 year. Populations can remain stable despite increased carcass counts because of new births and immigration from other range states.

The Botswana government recently reintroduced trophy hunting after a five-year moratorium. It did so on the pretext that Botswana has “too many elephants”.

But a new academic paper shows that this argument doesn’t hold.

The researchers compared the results of two aerial surveys in northern Botswana. The first was conducted in 2014, the second in 2018. Both were conducted during the dry season. This allowed for easy detection of changes over time.

A 94,000km2 area was studied and the elephant population estimated at 122,700 in 2018. This was roughly similar to the 2014 numbers.

But comparing results from the 2014 and 2018 aerial surveys, the scientists found that the numbers of elephant carcasses have increased, especially for newer carcasses dead for less than roughly 1 year. Populations can remain stable despite increased carcass counts because of new births and immigration from other range states.

US Women's World Cup Soccer Jersey Shatters All Men's Records | NIKE Now #1 Bra Seller In US

US Women's World Cup Soccer Jersey Shatters All Men's Records | NIKE Now #1 Bra Seller In US AOC Eye

Women’s Soccer marches forward with escalating fanfare, breaking a new record at Nike. The world’s great sports brand Nike has sold more USA Women’s World Cup jerseys in its online store than it has any other soccer team shirt in the same season. Business Insider reports that the sale includes men’s kits and jerseys from teams like Brazil and Barcelona.

“The USA Women’s home jersey is now the No. 1 soccer jersey, men’s or women’s, ever sold on Nike.com in one season,” said Nike CEO Mark Parker. “The exposure is driving outstanding sell-through in kits, high-performance bras and lifestyle extensions,” he added, stating that Nike is now the biggest seller of bras in Northern America for the first time in the brand’s history.

Take that gut punch, Victoria’s Secret. WWD is posting the stat, also. Nike said ‘bras’ not ‘sports bras’. Incroyable!

Paid less than their male counterparts, US Women’s Soccer is now in litigation with the league. For at least 5 years, the women have been pointing out — to no avail — that they are bringing in the bucks for US Soccer, but don’t get the pay.

Anja, Doutzen, Gisele, Naomi Cover ELLE US July 2019 Conservation Issue

Anja, Doutzen, Gisele, Naomi Cover ELLE US July 2019 Conservation Issue

Supermodels Anja Rubik, Doutzen Kroes, Gisele Bundchen and Naomi Campbell talk sustainability with ELLE US July 2019. The Conservation issue, produced with Conservation International highlights women on a mission to fight environmental catastrophe..

From Gisele Bundchen’s passion for the rainforest and Doutzen Kroes’s fight to protect elephant populations, to Naomi Campbell’s green humanitarian work and Anja Rubik’s crusade against plastic pollution in our oceans, these women use their voices on behalf of the planet.

Photographer Chris Colls is behind the lens for the studio project working with editor-in-chief Nina Garcia and stylist Ilona Hamer.

Stella McCartney Talks Sustainability, Lensed By Matthew Sprout For Porter Edit June 21, 2019

Stella McCartney Talks Sustainability, Lensed By Matthew Sprout For Porter Edit June 21, 2019

Eco-fashion, sustainability leader Stella McCartney is styled by Hannah Cole in ‘The Fashion Revolution’, lensed by Matthew Sprout for Porter Edit June 21, 2019.

Emma Sells meets the woman on a mission, and we must listen up. Unlike designers finally taking notice of the almost unbearable toll that the fashion industry is putting on our planet, Stella McCartney has been all-in for Gaia from day one of her fashion career.

Part Of Healing at The Golden Door Spa in California Is its Philanthropy + Gaia Caretaker Mission

Part Of Healing at The Golden Door Spa in California Is its Philanthropy + Gaia Caretaker Mission

A 7-night stay at The Golden Door spa will cost you $9650, not including gratuities. You will be surrounded by 600 acres of native hills, meadows, Japanese gardens and citrus groves. At your disposal are 12 mountain or meadow hikes; 7 world class gyms; 2 swimming pools, 2 labyrinths, 5 acres of bio-intensive gardens and more.

The list of Golden Door facilities and amenities continues, bur one of the most important life-centering, healing experiences isn’t quantified. Surely The Golden Door’s philanthropy mission is not experienced to the same degree by every guest. And many of the spa’s guests are world-prominent philanthropists and big givers themselves.

The Cleveland Clinic confirms that health benefits associated with giving include:: 1) Lower blood pressure, 2) Increased self-esteem, 3) Less depression, 4) Lower stress levels, 5) Longer life, and 6) Greater happiness.

The Golden Door’s activities and treatment platform are designed to activate higher levels of ‘feel good’ chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin in the brains of clients. One can’t isolate how knowing that 100% of all net profits from The Golden Door support charities working with victims of abuse. Recipients include the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Whole Planet and the I Have a Dream Foundation.

Prince Harry, Nat Geo, Steve Boyes Take Us 'Into The Okavango' A Fragile Ecosystem We Simply MUST Save

Prince Harry, Nat Geo, Steve Boyes Take Us 'Into The Okavango' A Fragile Ecosystem We Simply MUST Save

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, discussed his ‘20 year connection’ with Angola and Botswana, posting a heartfelt Instagram message on Thursday. The tribute was created in conjunction with a fundraising event promoting National Geographic’s ‘Into The Okavango’ documentary film.

Harry explained that he is ‘grateful’ to see National Geographic partnering with both the Angolan government and The Halo Trust to promote the sustainable management of the Okavango Delta’s resources.

Megan Rapinoe Says US Women's Soccer Team Accepts AOC's Invite To The People's House

Megan Rapinoe Says US Women's Soccer Team Accepts AOC's Invite To The People's House

Megan Rapinoe, the captain of the US Soccer Women’s National Team, has said the team will not attend any White House celebrations honoring the women if the US wins the 2019 World Cup, as they are currently positioned to do.

Rapinoe responded to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, however, saying the team would be pleased to visit the people’s House of Representatives following the tournament — world champs or not.

The purple-haired, gay captain of the women’s team responded to Trump’s tweet about the team coming to the White House — if they are champs, of course, only if they are champs because Trump doesn’t like losers. Rapinoe set the ego-maniac Prez back on his haunches, saying "she’s “not going to the F…ing White House if we win.”

Trump quoted her for the whole world, with his series of presidential admonishments:

White Nationalist James Fields Jr, Heather Heyer's Charlottesville Assassin Sentenced To Life In Prison

White Nationalist James Fields Jr, Heather Hyer's Charlottesville Assasin Sentenced To Life In Prison

James Fields, Jr., the white supremacist who murdered Heather Heyer and injured dozens of others driving his Dodge Challenger into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017 has received a life sentence in federal prison.

Prosecutors had argued that Mr. Fields’s racist, anti-Semitic beliefs motivated his decision to attend the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville and use his automobile in an act of domestic terrorism. Thomas T. Cullen, the United States attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said after hearing the sentence that the case set a precedent for future instances of domestic terrorism.

Mr. Fields was one of hundreds of young white supremacists who swarmed Charlottesville in August 2017, marching with tiki torches shouting “The Jews will not replace us.”

Central Saint Martins Student Mi Zhou Creates Gorgeous Toiletry Packaging Made of Soap

Central Saint Martins Student Mi Zhou Creates Gorgeous Toiletry Packaging Made of Soap

Central Saint Martins student Mi Zhou, a student in the premier design school’s Material Futures master’s degree program has brilliantly re-imagined the wasteful, earth-harming reality of most toiletry packaging by turning the vessels themselves into usable products. Zhou’s lotion, soap, and shampoo containers are made of soap.

Supreme Court Says Gerrymandering Fix Up To Voters, Not Judges

Supreme Court Says Gerrymandering Fix Up To Voters, Not Judges

In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court has ruled that partisan gerrymandering is not unconstitutional.

The majority ruled that gerrymandering is outside the scope and power of the federal courts to adjudicate. The issue is a political one, according to the court, not a legal one.

“Excessive partisanship in districting leads to results that reasonably seem unjust,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority decision. “But the fact that such gerrymandering is incompatible with democratic principles does not mean that the solution lies with the federal judiciary.”

So for now, partisan gerrymandering, in which politicians get to choose their voters rather than voters choose their representatives, will remain a fact of American political life.

What is the background to this decision? And what does the decision mean for democracy in the U.S.?

U.S. Houses Passes $4.5 Billion Border Aid Bill Amid Mounting Concern For Detained Migrant Children

U.S. Houses Passes $4.5 Billion Border Aid Bill Amid Mounting Concern For Detained Migrant Children

By Adam Willis. First published in The Texas Tribune.

As reports of migrant children being held in squalid conditions at federal facilities near the border continue to draw outrage, Democrats successfully pushed a $4.5 billion humanitarian aid package through the U.S. House late Tuesday evening with a vote of 230 to 195.

The passage of the bill marks a narrow victory for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who managed to coalesce a unified front after several days of uncertainty and division within the party. Ultimately, only four Democrats broke rank, none of them Texans. Among the Republicans from the state, U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, was the only member to buck his party, voting in favor of the bill. Hurd's districts covers much of the state's border with Mexico.

Note: The Four Democratic women who broke with Pelosi are Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).