New York Activists Say 'Time's Up' at the Golden Globes

This year's Golden Globes shifted the focus from the stars and their dresses to their high-powered guests: activists who champion the rights of women in industries outside of entertainment.

It was organized by Time's Up, a movement established by hundreds of women in Hollywood to combat sexual harassment. A week before the Globes, the Time's Up group announced the launch of a Legal Defense Fund to subsidize legal services for people experiencing workplace harassment in any industry. As of the morning after the awards, the fund's GoFundMe page says it's just shy of $16 million.

Eight actresses each brought an activist guest to the awards show. Many of them had roots or ties to New York:

Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Poo won the MacArthur Genius Award in 2014 for her work in organizing a worker-led labor movement and her successful advocacy for legislative action to protect domestic workers.

Saru Jayaraman, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United) and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley. Jayaraman has been a long-time advocate for the rights of restaurant workers and the Fight for $15. She also led a movement, just after September 11th, 2001, to help the hundreds of employees who had worked at the restaurant on the top of the North Tower find fair employment elsewhere.

Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement and director of the nonprofit Girls for Gender Equity. While #MeToo rose to wide-spread prominence after reports of Harvey Weinstein's sexual predation became public, Burke began the movement 10 years ago to unite survivors of sexual assault especially in underprivileged communities.

Rosa Clemente, a Puerto Rican activist, journalist and community organizer. Clemente has repeatedly called attention to the state of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the 2017 hurricane.

Shumita Basu spoke to WNYC's Kerry Nolan.