What’s behind the ‘Be Good’ badges celebrities are wearing at 83rd Golden Globes?

Award ceremonies have historically served as platforms for political messaging, and this year’s Golden Globes continued that tradition. At Sunday’s event, several celebrities wore anti-ICE pins in memory of Renee Good, who was shot inside her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier this week in Minneapolis.

The monochrome badges bore messages such as “BE GOOD” and “ICE OUT”, adding a clear political dimension to the ceremony, particularly after last year’s event was largely free of overt activism.

Actor Mark Ruffalo was seen wearing one of the pins while walking the red carpet, and it was anticipated that other attendees would also showcase them during the evening.

Following the shooting on Wednesday, demonstrations have erupted nationwide, demanding accountability for Good’s death as well as for a separate incident in Portland, where Border Patrol officers shot and injured two individuals. In some cities, including Minneapolis, protests have escalated into confrontations with police, coinciding with ICE conducting what it describes as its largest immigration enforcement drive so far.

“We need every part of civil society, society to speak up,” said Nelini Stamp of Working Families Power, who helped organise the distribution of the anti-ICE pins, according to news agency AFP. “We need our artists. We need our entertainers. We need the folks who reflect society.”

Members of Congress have promised a forceful response, while the FBI has launched an investigation into the killing of Good. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has strongly defended the ICE officer involved, arguing that he acted in self-defence and believed Good intended to strike him with her vehicle.

Good’s death followed another fatal shooting just a week earlier, when an off-duty ICE officer killed 43-year-old Keith Porter in Los Angeles. That incident also triggered protests across the city, with demonstrators calling for the officer responsible to be taken into custody.

Organisers take grassroots campaign to Golden Globes events

The campaign behind the “ICE OUT” pins originated from a late-night exchange of text messages earlier this week between Stamp and Jess Morales Rocketto, executive director of the Latino advocacy organisation Maremoto.

Both organisers believe that moments of cultural significance can help bring social justice issues to the attention of millions. This marks Morales Rocketto’s third year engaging in Golden Globes-related activism; she has previously mobilised members of the entertainment industry against the Trump administration’s family separation policies. Stamp said she often draws inspiration from the 1973 Academy Awards, when Sacheen Littlefeather declined Marlon Brando’s Oscar to protest Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans.

From there, the pair began reaching out to celebrities and influencers within their networks, who then expanded the effort by involving prominent figures in their own circles. Among those contacted early on was labour activist Ai-jen Poo, who attended the 2018 Golden Globes alongside Meryl Streep to promote the Time’s Up movement.

“There is a longstanding tradition of people who create art taking a stand for justice in moments,” Stamp said, according to AFP. “We’re going to continue that tradition.”

According to Stamp, supporters of the movement have been present at high-profile gatherings in the days leading up to the Golden Globes, handing out pins at parties and sharing them with fellow attendees.

“They put it in their purse and they’re like, ‘Hey would you wear this?’ It’s so grassroots,” Morales Rocketto said.

The organisers have committed to carrying the initiative forward throughout the awards season, aiming to keep public attention focused on the names of Good and others who have lost their lives in shootings involving ICE officers.