Michelle Williams spotlights #MeToo founder Tarana Burke during Globes red carpet interview

Michelle Williams is up for best actress in a drama at this year’s Golden Globes, but on the red carpet, she kept the focus on her date: Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement.

Multiple actresses hit the red carpet Sunday accompanied by female activists and dressed in black to help raise awareness for the Time’s Up movement. Burke created the #MeToo movement more than a decade ago to help support victims of sexual harassment and assault, and the phrase has caught on in recent months as a social media hashtag as more and more women have come forward to share their own stories.

Speaking to Ryan Seacrest during the E! pre-Globes red carpet, Williams got emotional talking about what Burke’s work means to her and her 12-year-old daughter, Matilda Ledger.

“Really, the most exciting thing is that I thought I would have to raise my daughter to protect herself in a dangerous world,” Williams said. “I think that because of the work Tarana has done and the work that I’m learning how to do, we actually have the opportunity to hand our children a different world. So, I am moved beyond measure to be standing next to this woman. I have tears in my eyes and a smile on my face.”

Burke also opened up about how rewarding it has been for her to see so many women stand together and speak out about their own experiences with sexual assault and harassment.

“It’s deeply humbling,” Burke told Seacrest. “This is something that I started out of necessity, as something that I thought my community needed. It’s grown over the years, but I could never have envisioned it growing like this. This moment is so powerful because we’re seeing a collision of these two worlds — or a collaboration between these two worlds that people don’t usually put together, and would most likely have us pitted against each other. So it’s really powerful to be on the red carpet tonight and for people like Michelle to be selfless enough to give up their time so we can talk about our causes.”

To donate to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which will provide subsidized legal support to women and men in all industries who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, or abuse in the workplace, visit its GoFundMe page. Learn more about Time’s Up, an organization of women in entertainment combating sexual harassment and inequality, on its website.