Watch celebrities raise money for social justice in Inauguration Day 'Love-A-Thon'
While Donald J. Trump enjoys the Inauguration Day festivities in his first few hours as the 45th president of the United States, dozens of celebrities and activists are taking to Facebook Live — and taking action.
The Love-A-Thon, billed as the first-ever Facebook Live "telethon," is a star-studded, three-hour live event taking place Friday in an effort to raise $500,000 for three social justice organizations.
More than 40 celebrities, including Rashida Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ilana Glazer, are joining host Judah Friedlander for the Inauguration Day counterprogramming to support the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and Earthjustice. Top staffers and activists from each organization will also take part.
Viewers can tune in to the Facebook Live (embedded below, via media partner Upworthy) from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. They can watch entertaining activities unfold, ask experts questions in real-time, and donate to any of the three charities through Crowdrise on DonateToLove.com.
"I saw the election results, and I saw a lot of people looking for something to do," co-organizer Alex Godin told Mashable about the Love-A-Thon's origins. "I wanted to find an actionable way to help protect our country. And from what I saw, these three charities ... really need our help. And this is a chance to help with that."
"I wanted to find an actionable way to help protect our country."
The three organizations focus on civil rights, reproductive rights and climate change — three hot-button topics throughout Trump's campaign, and issues many people fear will worsen during his administration.
Godin, along with co-organizer Sam Koppelman and a team of producers and editors, said they've put the event together in nearly no time. Judah Friedlander, for example, who regularly includes social justice topics in his comedy act, just signed on to host the Love-A-Thon last week.
"I'd seen Judah's stand-up for years, and he has some of the most socially conscious work of any comic in New York, and really in the country," said Koppelman, who previously worked as a digital content strategist for the Hillary Clinton campaign.
"He's someone who talks about racial bias bluntly. He acknowledges the ways in which America doesn't live up to the ideals upon which it was founded. And he does so with his super entertaining personality and this clarity of mind that so few people do," he said.
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Friedlander said that for the past six years, his act has satirized domestic and foreign policy, as well as American exceptionalism. He's engaged in activism, regularly attending protests and rallies, and last summer he joined fellow comic Baratunde Thurston at the Brooklyn Historical Society for a talk about white privilege.
"Many people in this country think democracy is voting once every four years," Friedlander told Mashable. "And it's really not. It's getting out there every day and being active all the time."
"That's what democracy is -- it's everybody speaking out."
He said everybody should be talking about the government, laws and the political process, and that protesting is a part of what you're supposed to do.
"That's what democracy is. It's everybody speaking out," he said.
The Love-A-Thon taps into that, bringing together celebrities, activists and everyday people to talk about these important topics, and tackling threats to civil liberties in Trump's America.
Freidlander said he hopes it will motivate a lot of people into taking action.
"It's hard to pay attention to politics. It takes a lot of work and people are busy as it is. But people need to realize they can make a difference and not feel hopeless about it. These organizations can, in all different ways, provide good things for people and protect their rights," he said.
The ultimate goal is to raise at least $500,000. The Love-A-Thon is just a vehicle for donations and isn't taking any proceeds.
"Hopefully people learn that doing good and donating to charities is something that feels great and is a productive way to fight for the causes they believe in," Koppelman said.
"And hopefully they continue to donate and support these incredible causes over the next four years, and beyond."
Matt Petronzio was the Social Good Editor at Mashable, where he led coverage surrounding social impact, activism, identities, and world-changing innovation. He was based at the New York City headquarters from January 2012 to April 2018, and previously worked as the assistant features editor.
