Los Angeles: Veteran Hollywood actor Jane Fonda has spoken out about white privilege in the US, saying it is high time for the situation to change in the country which is steeped in racism.
There have been widespread protests in the US over the killing of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who was pinned to the ground in Minneapolis last week by a white police officer who kneeled on his neck as he gasped for breath.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. During an interview with CNN, Fonda called upon people to "recognise" their privilege as she stressed that even "the poorest of white people have privilege".
"Because we're white, we have had privilege. Even the poorest of us have had privilege. And we need to recognise that, and we have to understand what it is that keeps racism in place - the policies, redlining, banking policies, mortgage policies," the 82-year-old actor said.
"All of the things that are really making it very, very difficult for black people to lift themselves up. The policies have to be changed, and then white people have to understand the history that has led to this and we have to try to change within ourselves," Fonda added.
The veteran actor believes that the US is going through a "very important moment". "We have an election coming, we have a pandemic crisis, we have a climate crisis, we have a race crisis, and we have a choice to make," she said, referring to the upcoming US Presidential elections.
