After months of revelations about widespread and longstanding sexual harassment and assault in the entertainment industry, this year's Golden Globes ceremony was bound to be different. In fact, a number of high-powered women in the industry made sure it would be, recently launching Time's Up, which aims to end systemic sexual harassment in all industries. The initiative also called for Golden Globes attendees to honor the bravery of those who have come forward about abuse by wearing black.

And everyone from the show’s host took up the challenge. In fact, plenty took their commitment a step further by bringing prominent activists as their dates and turning the red carpet into an opportunity to comment on the movement to end harassment and assault.

Here are just a few of the actresses and activists who used this platform to speak out.

Debra Messing

“I’m wearing black to stand in solidarity with my sisters all over the globe and I’m here to celebrate the rollout of this incredible initiative, Time’s Up. Time is up. We want diversity, intersectional gender parity, we want equal pay ... this is about every woman in every industry globally.”

Reese Witherspoon

“We’re here to stand up for all women and men who have been silenced by abuse [and] harassment in their industries — not just Hollywood, all industries.”

Actress Meryl Streep and Activist Ai Jen Poo

Meryl Streep: “I think people are aware now of a power imbalance. It’s something that leads to abuse. ... It’s everywhere. And we want to fix that. And we feel sort of emboldened in this particular moment to stand together in a thick black line."

Ai Jen Poo: "I hope people see the momentum and the energy and the fact that we’re uniting across all industries and all communities, standing together saying we all deserve workplaces where we're safe and our work is valued and we can live and work with dignity."

Sarah Jessica Parker

"I think it’s an enormous show of support tonight. I think it speaks to the appetite, to the climate that exists. This is a conversation that, as complicated as it is, seems to be very welcomed by everyone ... there have been conversations that have been challenging for all of us. It’s incredibly timely. Parity and equality and safe work environments — they shouldn’t be controversial."

Michelle Williams and #MeToo Founder Tarana Burke

Tarana Burke: "This is something I started out of necessity and thought my community needed. ... This moment is so powerful because we’re seeing a collision of two worlds. ... It’s really powerful to be on the red carpet tonight.”

Alison Brie

“It’s important to me to stand with all of the women who have come forward about their own experiences with sexual harassment and abuse ... and to stand with those who don’t feel like they have a voice, and represent them here tonight. It’s not about talking about an issue but about taking action. ... People can continue to donate if you go to TimesUpNow.com."

Actress Laura Dern and Activist Monica Ramirez

Monica Ramirez: "I’m here representing the 700,000 farmworker women who pick, plant, and pack the food that we eat. Today we’re standing in solidarity with women in the entertainment industry and everyone around the country to ensure we can live in communities and work in workplaces that are safe from violence.”

Viola Davis

"There's no prerequisites to worthiness. You're born being worthy. And I think that's a message that a lot of women need to hear: The women who are still in silence because of trauma, because of shame due to assault, they need to understand it's not their fault."