Emma Watson: from Potter-girl to magically motivated activist

Education for girls, women’s political participation, domestic violence, and global poverty are just some of the many causes the ‘Hermione Granger’ actor grew up to highlight and fight for.

Actress and activist Emma Watson uses her celebrity to open doors and open dialogue

Though financially set for life while still a teenager, Emma Watson went on to study at Brown University to expand her mind. Since completing her studies, the working actress and activist has gone on to champion many causes dear to her heart. Today we highlight just some of the charitable work Watson is involved with around the world.

“I am willing to go forward even when I feel alone,” — Emma Watson

In 2014 Emma Watson was appointed UN women goodwill ambassador, after which she pushed to launch the UN women campaign HeForShe, which calls for gender equality, because what we share is more powerful than what divides us.

“Men, I would like to take this opportunity to extend your full limitation-gender equality is your issue too. Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive about men women feel free to be strong.”

Watson has been to Bangladesh and Zambia to promote education for girls, and went to Uruguay to highlight the need for women’s political participation. 

She was an ambassador for CAMFED, an organisation that invests in girls and women in the poorest rural  areas in Africa. Learn, succeed, and lead change. Camfed is an international non-profit organisation tackling poverty and inequality by supporting marginalised girls to go to school and succeed, and empowering young women to step up as leaders of change.

Emma brought executive director MarAI Larasi to the Golden Globes to highlight the work of IMKAAN, an organisation that fights to end violence against black and minority ethnic women and girls. The organisation holds nearly two decades of experience of working around issues such as domestic violence, forced marriage and ‘honour-based’ violence. They work at local, national and international level, and in partnership with a range of organisations, to improve policy and practice responses to Black and ‘Minority Ethnic’ (BME) women and girls.

To another award show, Watson wore a dress made entirely out of recycled plastic bottles to draw attention to waste and Ecofashion.

She worked with several other charities and organisations, among which the Millennium Promise aims to end global poverty by 2025.

“I am willing to listen to what others have to say. I am willing to go forward even when I feel alone. I am willing to be my biggest bestest most powerful self. These statements scared the absolute sh*t out of me, but I know they’re the crux of it. At the end of the day when all is said and done, I know that these are the ways that I want to have lived my life.“ — Emma Watson