Tracee Ellis Ross Says Together ‘We Can Put an End to Abuse and Discrimination’ (Exclusive)

Tracee Ellis Ross is a woman with a mission.

The 45-year-old actress walked the red carpet in a stunning black Marc Jacobs dress at Sunday’s Golden Globes, but her message was clear.

“Time is up on a lot of things,” she told ET’s Kevin Frazier. “We all have to stand up together and with arms linked and not ranked. We can put an end to abuse and discrimination that makes the imbalance of power.”

“I really feel like the choice of black was a beautiful way to make it accessible to everyone, so that everyone could get involved in whichever way that they felt comfortable and whichever way that it could be an empowered moment, which for me was a turban,” she continued.

Ross paired her black jersey halter dress with a satin turban from Jacobs’ Spring 2018 collection.

“I am obsessed with this,” she said. “I saw this Marc Jacobs turban on the runway when it walked down and…I said I will wear that turban! And so, so it came true in a beautiful moment (puts right fist in air) of solidarity and power that I could stand as a we but also in my own glory as an I.”

In a statement released on Sunday, Ross further explained her decision to join the Time’s Up initiative and wear black.

"I wear black today as a “we” not as an “I”, as a celebration of our collective power as women, as an embodiment of sisterhood, solidarity and the work being done to create structural change,” the statement read. “We wear black for equity, parity and inclusion across all industries. We wear black to join with the voices of ALL women, particularly women of color, LGBTQX women, disabled women and all other women who have been disproportionately affected by sexual violence. TIMES UP on discrimination, harassment and abuse.”

For more on the Time’s Up movement, watch the video below.

RELATED CONTENT:

Black Dress Protest: Inside the Bold Fashion Statement at the 2018 Golden Globes

15 Black Designer Dresses We Might See at Sunday's Golden Globes

Why the 2018 Golden Globes Will Matter More Than Ever