\n<\/p>\n
On June 14, a group of legendary performers will take the stage in New York to celebrate art and music\u2014and<\/em> fight \u201can authoritarian regime that is rapidly taking over our democracy,\u201d says organizer Jane Fonda<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cRise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment<\/a>\u201d will feature performances and appearances by Fonda, Bette Midler<\/a>, Joy Reid, Patti Smith, Rufus Wainwright, Sasha Allen, and Broadway Inspirational Voices.<\/p>\n Fonda\u2019s Committee for the First Amendment, a free speech advocacy group, is organizing the star-studded fundraising event to bring attendees\u2014and viewers at home\u2014together in celebration of \u201cthe freedoms guaranteed by our First Amendment, of speech, religion, press, assembly, and protest. In a moment when authoritarians are increasing their attacks on our freedoms and communities, this is an opportunity for people across the country to rise up.\u201d Proceeds from the event will go to the Committee for the First Amendment, which will put them toward training, hiring organizers, and future activations and shows.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to stand up now\u2014this is the time,\u201d Fonda tells Vanity Fair.<\/em> \u201cDo not do it alone\u2026. We have to enlarge our hearts right now. We have to grow our empathy and help each other in the face of what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n The 90-minute show will be livestreamed, with watch parties taking place throughout the country. \u201cPublic activism has worked in the past over and over,\u201d Fonda says. \u201cEvery good thing that we\u2019ve achieved in this country has happened because average people made their voices heard one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMusic has always been the language of resistance. When this administration comes for our freedoms, music is how we remember who we are and what we\u2019re fighting for,\u201d Wainwright said in a statement shared with VF.<\/em> \u201c\u2018Rise Up, Sing Out\u2019 is what this moment demands. So let\u2019s come together, raise our voices, and remind them exactly who this country belongs to.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked if she or any of the other participants has any concerns about blowback from the Trump administration, Fonda replies, \u201cFear is temporary. Regret is forever. I am old enough to know that when you are on your deathbed, it\u2019s not the things you\u2019ve done\u2014it\u2019s the things you didn\u2019t do that you regret.\u201d<\/p>\n Fonda, a lifelong activist, launched the Committee for the First Amendment in October, inspired by the original Committee for the First Amendment, which was founded by a group of creatives\u2014and included members such as Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Fonda\u2019s own father, Henry Fonda\u2014during the McCarthy era. Today the group boasts about 3,500 members who all work in entertainment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n