1. Marai has been fighting to end violence against women for decades. The 2018 Golden Globe Awards will be a night focusing on women. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, and powered by the creation of the Time’s Up initiative, many celebrities will dress in black in protest of Hollywood’s culture of sexual harassment. Many women will bring some pretty important guests as their dates, as is the case of Emma Watson, 27. Emma will be joined by Marai Larasi, 48, the executive director of Imkaan (UK), a leading Black-feminist network with members in England, Wales and Scotland.
“I have been working on ending violence against women for 23 years,” Marai wrote on the UN Women website. “BME [Black and minority ethnic] women have always been central to my practice. Even before I had the language to describe ‘intersectionality’, I somehow understood that the journeys of BME women and girls were being shaped by exclusion and marginalization in different ways to our counterparts.”
2. She’s a member of the British Empire. In addition to being the executive director of Imkaan, she’s also the co-chair of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, the largest coalition of organizations working worldwide to eradicate violence against women and girls. Because of her good work, she was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE), per Huffington Post.
3. Marai was named one of the most influential people in the world. While Marai will not be up for an award during the 2018 Golden Globes, most will argue that her work is far more important than a bunch of pretty actors who playing make-believe in Hollywood. In fact, Marai is so badass that she was recognized by the World Pride Power List of 2013 as one of the most influential LGBT people in the world of politics, arts and entertainment.
4. She’s got her eye on the big picture when it comes to making a better world for women. “If we are to end violence against women and girls, and create a truly equal world, we need to start to create seismic shifts across our social norms. This is not just about transforming belief systems and behaviors in terms of gender; it also means addressing other norms – for example, around ethnicity, class and disability – all of which contribute to holding other oppressive systems in place.”
Tonight I walk into this space knowing that my ancestors fought for the simple right to live. Tonight I stand in their honour. We choose to take our #resistance EVERYWHERE! We stand in #solidarity with each other across our differences & in our commonalities. We say: #TimesUp
— Marai Larasi (@MaraiLarasi) January 7, 2018
If you missed the event @ArchivesHackney in November check out the live recording Museum of Grooves on @ReelRebelsRadio Tuesday 8-10pm special guests @HackneyAbbott @MaraiLarasi @LigaliOrg https://t.co/HKa3V3oryf pic.twitter.com/3bi8idiFTG
— Patrick Vernon (@ppvernon) December 4, 2017
5. She has good taste in music. If the world learns more about women like Marai Larasi, then the 2018 Golden Globes will have done their job. She’s pretty amazing as she works for social justice and systemic change. She’s also a self-described “lover of ol’ skool reggae & mountains” on her Twitter bio. If you meet her some day, you can talk to her about efforts to end domestic violence before shifting into a conversation about Trojan records, The Upsetters, Agustus Pablo or what’s right gear to take climbing.
What do you think about Emma Watson taking Marai Larasi to the Golden Globes, HollywoodLifers?