In 2018, practically anyone can accrue thousands of followers on social media, but only some people use their platform to amplify marginalized voices, promote social justice movements, and help organize on-the-ground action.
Unsurprisingly, women were often the most effective activists of 2018. Emma González called B.S. on politicians who get funded by the National Rifle Association. More than 150 survivors of sexual abuse spoke at Larry Nassar's sentencing. Tina Tchen, Roberta Kaplan, Hilary B. Rosen, and Fatima Goss Graves gave "time's up" a new meaning when they co-founded the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund to connect sexual assault survivors to legal services.
There's no denying the past 12 months have been devastating. Every day seemed to bring new injustice: attacks on women's rights, families being separated, gun violence, and other tragedies. But that didn't stop the below organizers from fighting to move this country forward, alongside these young activists, of course.
Here are 13 trailblazers, presented in alphabetical order, that gave us hope for a better world:
1. Ady Barkan
Ady Barkan, who has the incurable disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is known for his work to protect the Affordable Care Act and his related Be A Hero PAC campaign. In addition to his health care advocacy and voter mobilization efforts, he helped create a crowdfunding campaign to convince Senator Susan Collins to vote no on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination. If she voted against Kavanaugh, all the money would go back to the donors. When she instead voted for his confirmation, the money was earmarked to support her future Democratic opponent in the 2020 election. The campaign raised $3.7 million.
2. Tarana Burke
As the #MeToo movement grew and evolved, founder Tarana Burke continued focusing on helping survivors of sexual violence heal, particularly black women and girls. She recently advocated for Cyntoia Brown's clemency on social media. Brown, who had been forced into sex trafficking as a teenager, was sentenced to prison for life after she killed a man who hired her for prostitution, in 2004.
Burke co-wrote a letter of support for Christine Blasey Ford after she testified before Congress about being sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh. In partnership with The New York Women's Foundation, Burke created the Fund for the MeToo Movement and Allies to fund anti-sexual violence groups that support marginalized and underserved communities. She also raised awareness about #MuteRKelly, a campaign that demands the music industry stop supporting the singer, who has been accused of sexual harassment and assault.
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3. Rachel Cargle
Rachel Cargle critically analyzes white feminism and explores the "intersection of race and womanhood" through her workshops, Harper's Bazaar essays, and social media posts. To celebrate her 30th birthday, she raised over $100,000 to finance mental health counseling and therapy for black women and girls. Although she surpassed her original goal, and has raised $165,000, Cargle continues to accept donations so she can fund mental health care year-round. The successful campaign will soon become a nonprofit, according to Cargle.
4. America Ferrera
Superstore actress America Ferrera traveled the country to mobilize voters ahead of the midterm elections. That included teaming up with singer Alicia Keys in Dallas, Natalie Portman in Arizona, and Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez in Florida. Ferrera published the book American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures. It features stories from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay, and figure skater Michelle Kwan. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star was also a key member of the Time's Up campaign, an effort to combat sexual harassment in the entertainment industry.
5. Jamie Margolin
In 2017, Jamie Margolin founded Zero Hour, a youth-led movement working to give everyone access to a "clean, safe, and healthy environment." The organizers use an intersectional lens, meaning they understand marginalized communities are most vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and climate-related changes in the environment. This year, Margolin and other young activists marched on Washington, D.C., to demand elected representatives stop taking money from fossil fuel companies. Margolin and 12 other young people also sued her home state of Washington over its role in the climate crisis. The case was dismissed, but she continues to organize and raise awareness about climate justice.
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6. Alyssa Milano
Since posting her viral "me too" tweet last year, Alyssa Milano spent 2018 amplifying the work of #MeToo founder Tarana Burke. In September, Milano went viral again after she was spotted staring down Brett Kavanaugh during his Senate Judiciary hearing. The actress was in the courtroom to show solidarity with Christine Blasey Ford, who testified against the Supreme Court nominee. She's also advocated for vulnerable communities on social media, including migrants at the border who were separated from their families. On Thanksgiving, she encouraged her Twitter followers to raise $100,000 for the Families Belong Together campaign.
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7. Janelle Monáe
In a Rolling Stone article published earlier this year, Janelle Monáe came out as pansexual. The cover story was a huge milestone for the singer and increased visibility for the LGBTQ community. Merriam-Webster revealed the term pansexual was the top search of the day. Monáe also broke boundaries with her 2018 album Dirty Computer, which received a nomination for album of the year at the 2019 Grammy Awards. At this year's ceremony, she showed support for the Time's Up movement during a powerful speech. "We come in peace, but we mean business," she said. "And to those who would dare try to silence us, we offer two words: Time’s up."
8. Parkland students
After they survived a mass shooting at their school, numerous students from Marjory Douglas Stoneman high school in Parkland, Florida, spoke out against gun violence. Emma González captured the nation's attention when she delivered her captivating "We call B.S." speech. The students formed March For Our Lives, organized a nationwide march to advocate for gun control, and then went into overdrive to mobilize voters. They launched a campaign called Turnout Tuesday, which provided young people with a step-by-step guide on how to register voters and encourage voter turnout before the midterm elections. The young activists also even teamed up with Marvel stars, including Captain America's Chris Evans and Black Panther's Chadwick Boseman, to create a PSA about their first time voting.
9. Ai-jen Poo
As the executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Ai-jen Poo is at the forefront of protecting the rights of domestic workers, including housekeepers, nannies, and elder care providers. The NDWA recently launched Alia, the first-ever portable benefits system for domestic workers. Poo is also the co-chair of Families Belong Together, a coalition of organizations fighting to aid and reunite the families that were separated as a result of President Trump's immigration policies.
10. Mónica Ramírez
Mónica Ramírez is the co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, the founder of Justice for Migrant Women, and gender justice campaigns director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Ramírez has long advocated on behalf of migrant and immigrant women, and she became a critical part of the Time's Up movement in 2018. Ramírez attended the Golden Globes with Big Little Lies' Laura Dern to raise awareness about Time's Up. Although it was a celebrity event, the ceremony helped spread awareness about the larger movement, which includes women across industries. Ramírez recently reflected on what the growing attention has meant for the farmworker movement.
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11. Time's Up founders
Tina Tchen, Roberta Kaplan, Hilary B. Rosen, and Fatima Goss Graves co-founded the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund earlier this year to connect sexual assault survivors to legal services. So far, the fund has helped over 3,700 people facing workplace harassment.
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12. U.S. gymnasts and sexual assault survivors
More than 150 women, including Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, spoke at Larry Nassar's sentencing. Nassar, the former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor, was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for sexual abuse. The victims' statements gave survivors, and Americans in general, hope that conversations about sexual assault and harassment might be shifting in the right direction. Rachael Denhollander, a former gymnast, was the first survivor to come forward in 2016, and this year, she was recognized as Inspiration of the Year by Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year Awards.
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13. Raquel Willis
Raquel Willis, a transgender activist and speaker, made history when she was hired as the first transgender woman in a leadership role at Out magazine. As a national organizer for the Transgender Law Center, she developed Black Trans Circles, a program dedicated to "building the leadership of Black trans women in the South and Midwest." Willis also joined the Biden Foundation's LGBTQ Equality Advisory Council, which helps the nonprofit create programs and messaging that will create social change. On social media and through her writing, Willis continuously amplifies voices in the transgender community.
UPDATE: Dec. 21, 2018, 4:20 p.m. EST An earlier version of this article stated Ady Barkan's crowdfunding campaign raised over $2.2 million. It’s been updated to reflect the most recent amount of $3.7.
Topics Activism Social Good Celebrities
