Little Fires Everywhere star and advocate Kerry Washington, human rights attorney Amal Clooney, and Pose groundbreaker and trans advocate MichealaJaé Rodriguez are among the honorees in TIME magazine’s 2022 Women of the Year issue.
TIME Executive Editor Naina Bajekal and Senior Editor Lucy Feldman wrote in part, “[W]e chose to spotlight leaders who are working to create a better future for women everywhere. Our 2022 Women of the Year list features 12 individuals who have reached across communities, generations, and borders to fight for a more inclusive and equitable world.”
Washington was heralded for using “her star power to lend the spotlight to others.” The actress and advocate offers, “funding, her Hollywood connections, and her storytelling expertise to 10 local organizations that are part of the Vision Into Power Cohort,” which supports, “grassroots organizations that empower marginalized groups.”
TIME also noted that Washington has invested in several women-led startups, and that her Simpson Street production company “focuses on bringing the stories of women of color to life with projects like Confirmation, American Son, and Little Fires Everywhere.”
Rodriguez broke barriers by becoming the first trans actor to win a Golden Globe, and the first trans woman to earn an Emmy nomination in a lead acting category for Pose. The proud “Afro-Latina trans woman,” said, “When I was younger, I didn’t have representation for anyone of color in the LGBTQI community…Now…I want to show them that it’s possible.”
Amal Clooney was described as having, “empathy…as strong as her knowledge of the law and her courage.” The attorney “makes sure that women who are victims of mass atrocities, including genocide and sexual violence, are not forgotten, that they get justice, that their lives and communities are better as a result.”
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