Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has joined the likes of Pope Francis and Emma Watson on the list of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People released on April 16.
The list includes titans, pioneers, artists, leaders, and icons, with every person honored by a brief word from equally influential individuals.
Lai’s description, titled “A hero in Hong Kong”, highlights Lai’s unnerving resolve to challenge the status quo and is written by none other than Common, the American rapper who mentioned Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests during his Oscar acceptance speech.
“There are those who, when given the keys to wealth and the perks of the Establishment, choose not to rock the boat because of the backlash they might face. Jimmy Lai is not such a person,” Common wrote.
The artist had championed civil rights movements across the world when he and singer-songwriter John Legend accepted the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Glory”, the theme of the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic “Selma.”
The former chairman of Next Media was a staunch supporter of the Occupy movement last year. He and his media organization were often targets of intimidation attempts. In January, his home was attacked by a masked intruder, who threw a firebomb at the front gates.
At the height of the protests, demonstrators gathered outside the printing plant of Next Media and blocked the entrance to delay the distribution of the Apple Daily newspaper.
He turned himself in for his involvement in the rallies last December but was released.
Scholarism founder Joshua Wong, who graced the October cover of TIME, is notably not included on the list.
For the complete list, click here.
Photo: Yu-Cheng Hsiao via Wikimedia Commons
