ONE Campaign’s #PassTheMic Finale: For Two Days 24 Celebrities Give Social Media Platforms To Experts At Six Month Mark Of COVID-19 Outbreak 

WASHINGTON (June 30, 2020)  – The ONE Campaign, a global organization campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, today announced that Beanie Feldstein,Tom Hiddleston, Jameela Jamil, Ashley Judd, James McAvoy, Olivia Munn, Kumail Nanjiani, Busy Philipps, Phoebe Robinson, Michael Sheen, Tessa Thompson, Robin Wright and more will take part in #PassTheMic and hand over their social media platforms to experts engaged in the fight against COVID-19. As countries around the world continue their battle to contain COVID-19, it remains vital for experts to share key facts and insights. The campaign finale will take place on Tuesday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 1, 2020, six months since the COVID-19 outbreak was first reported, with two days of takeovers.

#PassTheMic started on May 21, 2020 with a conversation between Julia Roberts and Dr. Anthony Fauci on why a global response to COVID-19 and an equitably distributed vaccine are so crucial. Dr. Fauci said, “We need to make a commitment right now, that when we do the vaccine trials, we need to include the developing world in those vaccine trials. We can’t make a vaccine for ourselves and only know how well it works in ourselves. We’ve got to do it and include them.” 

“July 1 marks six months since the COVID-19 outbreak was first reported and the need for experts to lead the conversation is more critical now than ever, especially at a time when the pandemic is spreading and spiking in many parts of the world, including the U.S.,” said ONE Campaign President and CEO, Gayle Smith. “The message behind #PassTheMic has resonated with people around the world because they know that facts are what we need to drive solutions and end the pandemic.”

#PassTheMic’s first 17 takeovers included Julia Roberts & Dr. Fauci, David Oyelowo & Gayle Smith, Danai Gurira & Dr. Ngozi, with a potential social media reach of over 1 billion. The upcoming two days of expert takeovers will focus on the urgent need for a global response and an equitably-distributed vaccine and the impact this pandemic is having on minority and vulnerable populations. In total, 42 celebrities are participating with over 258 million followers around the world. 

Below is a list of upcoming #PassTheMic pairings:

• Andrew Zimmern with Andy Slavitt, former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
• Ashley Judd with Dr. Charlie Weller, Director of Vaccines, Wellcome Trust
• Beanie Feldstein with Dr. Jenn Gardy,  Deputy Director, Surveillance, Data, and Epidemiology, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Bonang Matheba with Dr. Nkengasong, Director, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
• Busy Philipps with Shannon Kowalski, International Women’s Health Coalition
• David Atherton with Timothy Spector, Professor of Epidemic Genealogy, King’s College
• Folake Olowofoyeku with Dr. Grace Ogiehor-Enoma, RN & CEO, Grace School of Allied Health & Professional Advancement
• Jameela Jamil with Raj Mariwala, Mental Health Activist and Philanthropist
• James McAvoy with Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO, Gavi
• Jenny Slate with Harriet Walton, Emergency Medicine Nurse, University College Hospital
• Kristofer Hivju with Jan Egeland, Secretary-General, Norwegian Refugee Council 
• Kumail Nanjiani with Dr. Larry Brilliant, Epidemiologist and Chairman of the Board, Ending Pandemics
• Laura Marano with Dr. Erin Stuckey, Epidemiologist & Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Michael Sheen with Martin Dedicoat, UK National Health Service Doctor
• Naomi Ackie with Dr. Brahima Coulibaly, Director, Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings Institution
• Olivia Munn with Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer for British Columbia and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia
• Phoebe Robinson with Dr. Tsion Firew, Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center
• Robin Wright with Gayle Smith, CEO, ONE Campaign
• Sauti Sol with Agnes Kalibata, President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
• Stonebwoy with Prof Awandare, Noguchi Memorial Institute, University of Ghana
• Tessa Thompson with Helene Gayle, Doctor and CEO, The Chicago Community Trust 
• Tom Hiddleston with Dr. Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
• Yemi Alade with Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Chairman, Econet Global 
• Zachary Quinto with Mark Dybul, Co-Director of the Center for Global Health Practice & Professor at Georgetown University

Background

#PasstheMic is part of The ONE Campaign’s call for a global response to COVID-19 that protects the most vulnerable, supports people worst hit economically, strengthens health systems and creates a more just and equal world. ONE supporters across the world have signed the call to action telling governments that a global pandemic demands a global response. Participants in the campaign have included: Connie Britton, Millie Bobby Brown, Danai Gurira, Hugh Jackman, David Oyelowo, Sarah Jessica Parker, and more. Experts from around the world that were featured include Dr. Bill Frist (Former US Senator from TN), Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (Former President of Liberia), Craig Spencer (Director of Global Health in Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center), and more.

For more information on #PassTheMic, including social content for the takeovers click here.