Brando participated in the movement for civil rights in the 1960s and favored a boycott toward South Africa for its apartheid policies. 19, 2012. Celebrities may create organizations and other initiatives to support protesting citizens, speak at rallies and protests, or use televised platforms such as award ceremonies to promote a certain issue. We were the first mass movement against a war in American history and one of … By contrast, the Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater, ran as a “Hawk,” or war candidate, to the point of even advocating the use of some tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam. Now the organizers for the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam wanted to go further — much further. Marie-France Pisier. Among his 33 awards was the Medal of Honor, the highest award for bravery that a soldier can receive. 9. 10 May 1944. Organisations opposing the war had been around since the early 1960s but their membership was mostly limited to university students, radical political groups and some churches. Next, see what the Vietnam War looked like for those who fought it in this CBS News footage that captured a battle in action in the jungles of Vietnam near Cambodia in March 1970: After viewing the Vietnam War photos above, have a look at two of the era's most iconic images: "Napalm Girl" and the Saigon execution . 25 August 1911. Jane Fonda was against the war. The date was April 23, 1975, the war in Vietnam was winding down and the world was waiting to see what America would choose to do. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the Cold War. Kent State shooting, the shooting of unarmed college students on May 4, 1970, at Kent State University in northeastern Ohio, a pivotal event in the anti-Vietnam War movement. President John Kennedy. Most recently, 2020 brought worldwide protests against police brutality in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, stemming from the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. On June 8, 1949, the FBI named a slew of celebrities as members of the Communist Party. Indeed, his biggest-selling album, Born In The U.S.A., became a symbol of patriotism in the 1980s.But few realized that its title track was, in fact, a protest song about the treatment of Vietnam vets. While fracking is the main issue that the public relates to Ruffalo, the actor has also been seen protesting against President Donald Trump. Because these celebrities have a platform, whether it is general public interest from being followed by the tabloids, or in more recent decades, a large social media following, whatever cause they support will instantly garner more attention. Despite a brief upsurge in protests following and resumption of the air war against North Vietnam in the spring of 1972, the factionalization of the movement and the withdrawal of most U.S. forces led to a decline in protests. About half of Vietnam's 87 million people are under 30, with no memory of the years of war with the US. Fonda was arrested in 1970 for her role in a speaking tour that protested the Vietnam War, spending a night in jail. You may also like: Best miniseries available to stream. South Vietnam seemed on the brink of a civil war, even as the fighting against North Vietnam and the Việt Cộng insurgency raged on. Through news articles, listicles, and retrospectives, Stacker has compiled a list of 50 celebrities fighting for different causes who have a history of participating in protests or have made significant news through their participation. Fonda's trip became the subject of controversy when a photo surfaced of Fonda sitting in an anti-aircraft battery in Hanoi. In 2004, Dawson was arrested during the Republican National Convention while protesting against George W. Bush. Academy Award winner Clark Gable spent World War II flying combat missions in Europe. On April 15, 400,000 people organized by the Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam marched from Central Park to the UN building in New York City to protest the war, where they were addressed by critics of the war such as Benjamin Spock, Martin Luther King Jr., event initiator and director James Bevel, Harry Belafonte, and Jan Barry Crumb, a veteran of the war. President of Vietnam. The Vietnam War was a war between Anti-communist and Communist forces in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1955 to 1975. some don't assume that celebrities think at all. Ali claimed to be a conscientious objector and did not believe in death and killing. Celebrities are taking over our screens for the cause. Fonda's trip to North Vietnam was part of her protest campaign against the US involvement in the Vietnam war. Yet with the 1964 presidential elections, a large-scale antiwar movement began to take shape. Having his spinal cord damaged after a horse-riding accident, Reeve made the need for medical support for disabled people his primary focus, creating the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to fund research and improve the quality of life for patients. Later, presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy increased the US’s political, economic, and military commitments steadily throughout the fifties and early sixties in Vietnam. The United States first became involved in Vietnam in 1950 when President Harry Truman started to under estimate the costs of France’s war against the Viet Minh. They may have been right to suspect some, but others were just completely ridiculous. For the most famous athlete on the planet to openly decry the war was, at the time, blasphemous. Four students were killed and nine wounded by the Ohio National Guard, the violent culmination of four days of protest. AFP / Getty Images Ted Powers / AP. Some time in 1969 in Paris, I first read Armies of the Night, Norman Mailer's account of the anti-Vietnam war march on the Pentagon. Vy Qwaint. When there are so many injustices in society, many ordinary citizens organize and mobilize to fight for change. Some famous people that served in the Vietnam War … Joan Baez, a popular folksinger, grew up as a Quaker and preached her pacifist beliefs in opposition to the war. America had been through nearly twenty years of the Cold War and they were … Actress Jane Fonda is famous for being an activist for most of her professional career, advocating for a number of issues. Against this backdrop, as the Vietnam War raged from the ’60s into the ’70s, the government entered into negotiations with the U.S. for the return of Okinawa. Declaring himself a conscientious objector, in part due to his religious beliefs, Ali was arrested and stripped of his titles. Clooney had long been vocal about finding a resolution to the War in Darfur, interfacing with world leaders and the United Nations as well as taking part in a number of documentaries spreading awareness about the conflict. CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite went to Vietnam to provide viewers with an assessment of the war’s progress. His one-hour special report aired on Feb. 27, 1968. He's part of a cadre of musicians and other celebrities who have championed social causes. Muhammad Ali was drafted into the Vietnam War in 1966. © 2019 TIME USA, LLC. Five months later, half a million people sang “Give Peace a Chance” at a protest rally against President Richard Nixon and the Vietnam War. Keys has not only spoken at various demonstrations protesting Trump administration immigration policies, the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and police brutality, but she has also contributed a number of protest songs that tackle some of these issues. Her father, Henry, was a famous actor and her mother, Frances Seymour, was a socialite who committed suicide in 1950. In 1968, actor Robert Vaughn worked in the “Dump LBJ” movement, and celebrities such as Paul Newman, Tony Randall, Myrna Loy, and Leonard Nimoy labored on behalf of presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy. Vlogger. Muhammad Ali, as an African American boxer in the 1960s, raised awareness about civil rights, about the Vietnam War. australians don't seem to care what their celebrities think. She was no part-time activist, effectively placing her career on hold just after 1969’s Academy Award-winning They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? TIME takes at other celebrities who have shone their star power on causes they support. Bettman / Getty Images. The attempt to keep the peace led to multiple incidents in which American Marines received rifle fire from South Vietnamese troops. Several now-influential music artists used their talents to appeal to a wide audience that was against the war. The Vietnam War was a war between Anti-communist and Communist forces in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1955 to 1975. Most recently in 2019 and 2020, the 81-year-old Fonda has been arrested several times during demonstrations that protested the use of fossil fuels by oil companies. In April 1970, Fred Gardner, Fonda and Donald Sutherland formed the FTA tour.The tour, referred to as "political vaudeville" by … Speaking Out Against the Vietnam War Because the scope of U.S. involvement in Vietnam was limited in the late 1950s and early ’60s, public opposition was also limited. Jane Fonda was born on December 21, 1937, in New York City. They were born in the 1940s, and they were both inspired to fight against injustice, whether it was the injustices of the Vietnam War or Watergate or children in poverty or oppression of African Americans in Philadelphia where I was growing up. Bruce Springsteen is a man who needs little introduction. As a musician, Alicia Keys has added musical flair to her activism. They may have been right to suspect some, but others were just completely ridiculous. Throughout the Vietnam war, a number of celebrities spoke out against administration policies. Some famous people that served in the Vietnam War … That trip followed a public letter sent by Artists United to Win Without War, which was signed by Martin Sheen, Kim Basinger, Matt Damon, Laurence … Hard as it may be to believe today, there was a time in American history when actors gave up Oscar-winning careers to serve in the military. Protest by Vietnam Veterans Against the War. In support of Indigenous people in the Americas, Brando made a scene at the 1973 Academy Awards by refusing to accept his best actor trophy and sent Native American actress Sacheen Littlefeather to speak on his behalf. By Alexandra Sifferlin Monday, Mar. After being met with years of protest, demonstrations, and activism, including the objections of many notable poets and artists, such as Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg, and W.S. The Vietnam antiwar movement, famous for its sound and fury, deserves credit for more. STEPHEN VIZINCZEY. Jimmy Cliff , “ Vietnam ” (1970). Gary Rader Ronald Radosh Eleanor Raskin Donna Reed Charles Owen Rice Jeremy Rifkin Harry Ring Diana Rivers Lillian Robinson Larry Rosebaugh Robert Roth (activist) Murray Rothbard Jerry Rubin Mark Rudd Molly Rush Richard Rusk Bayard Rustin With the release of Bruce Springsteen's latest album, "Letter to You," Stacker looked back the artist's storied history of activism and protest anthems, from the hardship of the Vietnam War veteran personified in "Born in the U.S.A." to his latest support of the Black Lives Matter movement. She appeared in her first stage role opposite her father in a 1954 production of The Country Girl in Omaha, Nebraska. The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. Kitt also protested against the Vietnam War, and as with many politically active celebrities at the time, she was under surveillance by the CIA. 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