Anthem Leaders
When leaders and people of influence use their platforms to support a social issue, the world notices and others are inspired to do the same. To honor this impact, we’re celebrating the people using their cultural positions to amplify important causes in our Anthem Leaders series.
Regina King
Regina King believes that art can shape public opinion, and she takes this very seriously in her work. She’s made a commitment to aligning herself with politically conscious projects, selecting work that both holds a mirror up to society and amplifies issues that are important to her, while also using her platform as a fearlessly outspoken advocate for anti-racism and intersectional inclusivity and advocating for gender parity in film and television.
Rahul Bose
Actor, director, screenwriter, and activist Rahul Bose has been a passionate voice speaking on the climate crisis, environmental justice, humanitarian aid, and diverse social issues, and was a prominent figure in #LockdownOnDomesticViolence, a digital campaign against domestic violence that spread awareness on the increase of intimate partner abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nadia Murad
Nadia Murad is a member of the Yazidi minority in Kojo, northern Iraq. In 2014, when she was 19 year old, the Islamic State (IS) destroyed her homeland in Sinjar to ethnically cleanse Iraq of all Yazidis, killing several hundred people — including her mother and her six brothers — and abducting the young women from her small community. Since her escape from captivity, she has shared her powerful story to raise awareness of the genocidal campaign against the Yazidi people while advocating for justice for survivors of sexual violence. Her charitable organization, Nadia’s Initiative, has created community-driven and survivor-centered programs to rebuild communities in crisis, promote long term peace-building, and advocate for governments and international organizations to support efforts to rebuild Sinjar, seek justice for Yazidis, improve security in the region, and support survivors of sexual violence worldwide.
Indya Moore
Indya Moore embodies what it means to use your platform for good. The Afro-Taína actor, model and activist has been outspoken about the autonomy and joy that queer & trans people of color are entitled to and the importance of a mutually supportive foundation of people uplifting disabled communities, sex workers and queer and trans people of color. They center the best interest of mutual safety, growth and love in their work, fearlessly advocating for intersectional inclusivity. “Indya is, by nature, a really inquisitive person and someone who genuinely wants to see the world be better,” said Steven Canals, co-creator of Pose on FX. “That’s clear in all of their activism and in the way they use their platform.”
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie broke her social media silence with an urgent message on behalf of the Afghan people whose rights are being eroded in the midst of the Taliban’s rapid takeover. “Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely,” she wrote. “So I’ve come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights.”
Megan Rapinoe
Megan Rapinoe is one of the most recognizable people in sports today. Having come out as gay in 2012, Rapinoe is also an icon in the LGBTQ community and has served as an ambassador for organizations fighting homophobia and transphobia. She and her girlfriend, WNBA star Sue Bird, have long been media darlings, sharing playfully and unabashedly their love for each other with the world. Rapinoe’s confidence, positivity, and outspokenness has an anthemic quality to it, inspiring new generations of athletes to pursue their sport while being proud of exactly who they are.
Parkland Kids
Fueled by the despair of seeing their friends killed before their eyes, a group of Marjory Stoneman Douglas survivors organized March for Our Lives, a demonstration in Washington DC that called for more robust gun control measures and greater accountability for companies and politicians that further gun industry objectives. Held the following month after the shooting, the event drew hundreds of thousands of attendees, including survivors of other mass shootings, and was accompanied by more than 800 events across the country.
Muhammed Ali
Muhammed Ali is easily one of the most recognized and important figures in sports history. Aside from being one of the greatest boxers of all time, Ali is known for his activism and outspoken beliefs challenging systemic racism and injustice. In and out of the ring he was unafraid of going toe to toe with his opponents, and he is respected for being unafraid to face the consequences of speaking his mind.
Amal Clooney
Amal Clooney’s legal career spans disciplines, governments, and even continents. Born in Lebanon, her family fled to the UK in 1982 to avoid persecution, giving Clooney a firsthand understanding of the fragile nature of justice. A brilliant and accomplished student, she would go on to be licensed to practice law in New York and has done some of her most monumental work in international courts, prosecuting some of the most egregious examples of injustice in the present day.
