Actor and activist Jane Fonda used her commencement speech at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism on Friday, May 16, to urge graduates to use their voices to safeguard democratic norms, defend peaceful protests and build stronger communities.

“Do you guys realize the power that you have? You are the people who can shape the stories by which we define ourselves, and our place in the world,” Fonda told the Class of 2025, made up of aspiring journalists, public relations professionals and media advocates.

A two-time Academy Award winner and longtime activist, Fonda has been outspoken on issues ranging from antiwar activism and feminism to environmental justice. Already an acclaimed actor, Fonda became a prominent activist in the 1970s as an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War–a role that earned her both admiration and criticism.

Now 87, Fonda has continued to advocate for women’s rights, LGBTQ+rights, and the Native American communities. She opposed the Iraq War in the early 2000s, and more recently has made climate activism her primary focus, launching the “Fire Drill Fridays” campaign in 2019 to demand urgent action on climate change.

Annenberg School’s Dean Willow Bay said Fonda was chosen as the 2025 commencement speaker because she “reminds us that communication — whether through story, advocacy or dialogue — is an essential catalyst for positive change,” and inspires graduates “to use their voices with purpose.”

Dressed in a bold red blazer and matching trousers, paired with a gold chain necklace — possibly a nod to USC’s signature cardinal and gold — Fonda stood before the packed Shrine Auditorium and challenged graduates to confront what she called “two unprecedented and deeply interconnected challenges”: democracy and climate.

“Right now, we are losing the democratic norms, capacity, and infrastructure that we need to solve climate and everything else. And we’re losing the climate stability to solve democracy and everything else,” she said. “We’re going to win or lose these two things together.”

Fonda urged graduates to resist narratives that demonize peaceful protest and to remember the power they hold as future journalists, media professionals, and storytellers. She urged them to be intentional in how they shape narratives and use storytelling to foster understanding and civic engagement.

“I call on you to resist the pressure to vilify peaceful protesters,” she said, “help people understand that in a time of escalating climate crisis and the dismantling of democracy, protest is not just protected and effective, it is imperative.”

Fonda also stressed the need for self-care and community support in an increasingly uncertain world, advising students to build relationships, manage anxiety and stay engaged.

“More and more, we’re going to need the support for safety, for love, for help, for fun, and for survival,” she said.

Like Fonda, Willow Bay, who spoke earlier in the ceremony, reflected on the challenge of navigating a rapidly changing world and the role of communication must play in shaping it. Bay acknowledged the profound shifts the graduates had navigated–intellectual, technological, cultural and political–and praised their resilience, grit and grace.

“You’ve learned how to listen,” Bay told the Class of 2025, “to listen actively, to seek understanding, to listen with purpose, for facts, for context, for the truth …to listen with empathy because compassion is powerful. And at this moment, that skill of listening has never been more important.”

After the speeches, the Shrine Auditorium was filled with applause as 1,296 undergraduate and graduate students, clad in red robes, crossed the stage to receive their diplomas.