Justice

The team was a meritocracy in which performance alone was rewarded. As I got better and my team started winning championships for my school, my status as freakishly tall black kid became a badge of accomplishment and inclusion.

NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer & Six-Time Champion

On the court, there was no prejudice, just your contribution to the team. Off the court, teamwork seemed like a parody of what we did. So, the lesson I eventually learned was to distinguish between which teams are sincere in promoting true teamwork, and which are jingoistic self-serving pretenders.

NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer & Six-Time Champion

It's hard for people to defend democracy when it cannot defend them against social injustice.

Turkish journalist, author, and political commentator known for critical writings on democracy

You cannot get rid of identities, but you can reform them. You can take a form of identity that's been historically associated with repression and hierarchy, and make it more egalitarian – that's what we've been trying to do with gender.

Philosopher, Cosmopolitanism Advocate & Princeton University Professor

My hands have been known mostly for the leather gloves that I've used as an instrument to punish opposing fighters. Outside the ring, though, I want my legacy to be the man with bare hands that offered kindness and hope to those in need.

World Champion Boxer & Philippine Senator

The people who started working at Chobani... the minute they had a job, the minute they started working, that's when they lost the sense of being a refugee and became part of the community. That was the moment they started to regain their dignity and became independent.

Founder and CEO of Chobani Greek Yogurt Company

We cannot focus only on the material aspects of poverty- we must address the poverty of spirit that's present in every one of our broken institutions: health systems, economic systems, criminal justice systems, and food systems.

Founder of Acumen Fund & social entrepreneur focused on global poverty alleviation

Apartheid did not develop because of 'race'. Instead, race was used to justify the domination/exploitation of Apartheid. Once you understand the order, the mechanism, you understand the purpose.

It's extraordinary to see the gains that have been won in the past half-century. The period from then till now is the blink of an eye in the vast passage of human history and the historic persecution of LGBT+ people.

Human rights activist & campaigner for LGBTQ+ equality and justice

Backlash is sadly an intrinsic part of social progress. When oppressed people make their claim for justice, they trigger a response – a fightback by those who want to maintain the status-quo.

Human rights activist & campaigner for LGBTQ+ equality and justice

I want a world where people can be true to themselves and to live their lives according to who they truly are.

Human rights activist & campaigner for LGBTQ+ equality and justice

LGBT+ identity came into existence as a defence mechanism against those who were attacking us. We were being targeted because of our sexual behavior and our love. We had to defend ourselves – that is why we claimed, and asserted our LGBT+ identity.

Human rights activist & campaigner for LGBTQ+ equality and justice

When you contrast that with human rights defenders, they are willing to self-sacrifice, to give everything to defend the community… not just their community, but everyone's rights. Why can't politicians be like that?

UN Human Rights Chief & International Justice Advocate

You cannot say you support a values based human rights agenda and have your defense industry dictate the terms of your relationships between states to the extent that you won't criticize states who you sell weapons to. People see this for what it is, they recognise the internal and external inconsistencies and are tired of it.

UN Human Rights Chief & International Justice Advocate

Today's world has very mediocre leadership. Heads of state and government do not call each other out! You rarely- if ever- hear world leaders calling out Xi Jinping on the treatment of the Uighur people, for example.

UN Human Rights Chief & International Justice Advocate

In my experience, unless you are directly affected by a human rights abuse, you are unlikely to give it a second thought. How many times do you draw breath a day? It's about 22,000 times – you don't think about it until you can't. That's exactly how most people view human rights- they are generally apathetic and may express some concern or sympathy when they hear about something on the news, but they don't mobilise unless it affects them directly.

UN Human Rights Chief & International Justice Advocate