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On Oct. 9, TIME celebrated the 2024 edition of the TIME100 Next, highlighting emerging leaders worldwide at a gala in Manhattan.
The annual TIME100 Next list features rising leaders in business, entertainment, politics, and health. The soiree on Wednesday night included a performance by honoree Sabrina Carpenter, who sang her hits “Please Please Please” and “Espresso.”
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]The event is a unique opportunity for stars to connect with one another and celebrate—like fellow Mean Girls stars Renée Rapp and Ashley Park, or actors Nicola Coughlan and Richard Gadd.
But the absence of Pakistani activist Mahrang Baloch was felt during the night. The TIME 100 Next honoree was barred from boarding her flight to New York City for the gala and told TIME that police threatened and harassed her after she left Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. “Like many of you, Dr. Baloch is a voice for change. And like many of you, Dr. Baloch pushes for that change despite great personal risk,” said TIME Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs. “We look forward to a day soon when Dr. Baloch can gather together, in person, with the TIME community.”
Five honorees from the 2024 TIME100 Next gave toasts during the gala to honor the people and causes that matter to them. Here’s a rundown of their remarks:
Nicola Coughlan calling for peace
The first toast of the night came from Nicola Coughlan, star of Netflix’s Bridgerton, who called on leaders to facilitate peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
The actor took a moment to commemorate Mary Robinson, the first female President of Ireland, who has been candid in her fight to expand human rights. Coughlan seemed to be inspired by Robinson, who she mentioned wrote an open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden where she called on him to help end the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “I hope that if you are fortunate enough to elect the first female President, she too will be unafraid to speak truth to power, and will try to make not just this country, but the world a more peaceful place,” the 37-year-old said.
Coughlan, who wore an “Artists for Ceasefire” pin throughout the night, made the call just days after the one-year mark of the Israel-Hamas war.
Read More: Nicola Coughlan Calls for the U.S. to Stop Sending Arms to Israel
Mehreen Datoo champions vaccines
Mehreen Datoo, a lecturer and doctor in infectious diseases and microbiology, dedicated her toast to the people who developed the new malaria vaccine being administered to children in sub-saharan Africa. Her scholarship was central to its development, and the issue is personal to her: she was hospitalized with malaria while conducting research in Uganda.
Amid anti-vaxx sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic, she used her platform to champion vaccines, citing the 154 million lives that have been saved from childhood vaccines—that’s six lives every minute of every year.
“Today’s world feels distressing—a world with conflicts, climate change and policy. It’s the breeding ground for more infectious diseases, and vaccines can play a key role in fighting [them],” Datoo said. “We need to be kinder, more generous towards each other.”
Wes Moore on his favorite patriot
The first Black Governor of Maryland dedicated his toast to one of the most patriotic Americans he said he knows: his grandfather, Rev. James Thomas. Thomas’s family fled from South Carolina to Jamaica to escape the Ku Klux Klan, but his grandfather was determined to go back to the U.S. With his new wife, he moved to the Bronx and became the first black Dutch Reformed Church minister. He passed away in 2005 while Moore was deployed in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army.
Moore talked about his grandfather as being a role model for all Americans because he saw America at its worst but devoted himself to making sure his congregants helped each other live up to its ideals. As he put it, “The thing that we ask is that skepticism become our companion, but not our captors.”
He congratulated the attendees and TIME100 Next honorees on the work they’re doing to make America a better place: “When I look around the room tonight, what I see are people who are like my grandfather—people who are true patients…people who may not have been born in this country, but take as much vested interest in the future of this country as anybody else.”
Anna Sawai on the need for boundless stories
Actor Anna Sawai—who this year became the first Japanese actress to ever win an Emmy and the first Asian actress to win an Emmy in the Lead Actress in a Drama Series category for her work on Shōgun—took a moment during her toast to recognize the Asian performers who came before her.
“I know a lot people will say my Emmy was well-deserved, but I don’t believe the Asian actresses who came before me didn’t deserve it,” Sawai said, noting they just did not have the opportunity to play “complex roles” like her character in Shōgun, and were “limited” even when they received opportunities. “And when it came to the awards, even less were acknowledged. So now it really feels like the world is opening up.”
Sawai also called for greater diversity in Hollywood. “I’m so grateful that people have shown interest in Japanese culture, and they want to see more shows like Shōgun, which there should be, but I also want people to know that we are more than just samurais,” she said. “We are more than just women in kimonos. I don’t want that to be the only thing that makes our stories stand out.”
She dedicated her toast to “no limits,” noting her pride in her heritage, but that she believes the stories we can tell are “boundless.”
Jaylen Brown on the power of intergenerational connection
The last toast came from basketball player Jaylen Brown, who focused his speech on intergenerational connection, honoring his grandmother and calling for people to take more initiative to bring others up as we climb.
The Boston Celtics center discussed how teamwork on the court is what led his team to a 2024 championship, and that teamwork is a greater metaphor to how we can care for each other in community.
Read More: How Jaylen Brown Became the NBA’s Most Interesting Player
“I encourage everyone to think about in their respective communities what they’re doing,” he said. “I challenge you to do more. Decisions we make in this room now have an impact on the next generation.”
The TIME100 Next Gala was presented by Toyota, Discover Puerto Rico, Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky, and FIJI Water.
