8 A-listers brought activist dates to the Golden Globes

The 2018 Golden Globes has taken on a whole new meaning following the creation of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. Stars are wearing all black to protest sexual harassment in the entertainment industry and beyond.

Eight powerful actresses — Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Emma Watson, Laura Dern, Amy Poehler, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Williams, and Shailene Woodley — walked the red carpet with gender and racial justice advocates on their arms. The activists released a joint statement about their decision to attend the Golden Globes. “Our goal in attending the Golden Globes is to shift the focus back to survivors and on systemic, lasting solutions,” it reads.

Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement and senior director at Girls for Gender Equality, went with Michelle Williams. Burke shared the full statement on her Facebook page. “There is still much work to do, and many hands required to do it. We want to encourage all women- from those who live in the shadows to those who live in the spotlight, from all walks of life, and across generations- to continue to step forward and know that they will be supported when they do.”

The advocates span industries, countries, and policy initiatives. Marai Larasi, the executive director of UK-based black feminist network Imkaan, walked the red carpet with Emma Watson. Laura Dern was with Mónica Ramírez, co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas. Dern shared a photo of herself and Ramirez en route to the Globes. “Holding our mothers and grandmothers and all brave women who taught us about Voice,” she wrote.

Shailene Woodley, who herself was deeply involved in the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests last year, is bringing Native Treaty Rights advocate Calina Lawrence. Lawrence herself is an enrolled member of the Suquamish Tribe.

Amy Poehler will be representing the fight for workplace justice with Saru Jayaraman, the president of advocacy organization Restaurant Opportunities Centers (ROC). Susan Sarandon is narrowing in on the continued fight for a free press with journalist Rosa Clemente. Meryl Streep is attending with Ai-jen Poo, the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-director of the Caring Across Generations Campaign.

Fittingly, Emma Stone is attending with Billie Jean King, who Stone is nominated for a Globe for portraying in “Battle of the Sexes.” Aside from her own glass ceiling-breaking achievements in tennis, King founded the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative.

Together, these women sound a powerful message about the varied battlegrounds in the fight for gender equality. As they wrote in their joint statement, “This moment in time calls for us to use the power of our collective voices to find solutions that leave no woman behind.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• This protest pin will be the Golden Globes’ biggest accessory – but will it make a difference?

• Stars, fans, and naysayers are all discussing #WhyWeWearBlack ahead of the Golden Globes tonight

• Rashida Jones shuts down critics of the Golden Globes red carpet blackout

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