Out actress Jodie Foster was among the
celebrities who spoke last week at a rally in Beverly Hills to
protest President Donald Trump's travel ban. The event was organized
by the United Talent Agency (UTA).
“As many of you know, I don't do this
very often,” Foster told the crowd, estimated at over 1,000. “I’m
not somebody who feels very comfortable using my public face for
activism. In my life, I’ve found small ways, much like most of
you, to serve, and to show up, and to give somebody a lift at the
bottom of the hill when they’re going to the top. I’ve always
made a subtle way, a quiet way, and a personal way.”
"But this year is a very different
year. It’s time to show up. It’s a singular time in history.
It's a time to engage. And as the very, very dead Frederick Douglass
once said, ‘Any time is a good time for illumination,’ and this
is the time for illumination. I believe this time is filled with
light ... not darkness.”
“It doesn’t matter where you were
born, who you voted for, red or blue, whether you're white, black, or
brown, or all the colors in the identity rainbow – this is our time
to resist. It is our time to show up and demand answers. It’s our
time to tell our elected officials to do their job,” Foster
added.
Others who spoke at the rally included
Michael J. Fox, Keegan-Michael Key and California Lt. Gov. Gavin
Newsom.