Mavis Leno has made the fight for women's rights in Afghanistan her own

Web posted on:
Thursday, May 06, 1999 4:05:27 PM

By Janet Janjigian
NewsStand: CNN & Entertainment Weekly Producer

(CNN) -- Ever wonder what happens when a celebrity and an issue join forces? Correspondent Robin Groth and I set out to explore the process of making a cause a celebrity cause. Our example is Mavis Leno, wife of late-night talk show king Jay Leno. We caught up with her at the Feminist Majority Foundation in Los Angeles putting in her time, effort and energy to bring attention to the cause against gender apartheid regarding the women of Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban government took over the country in 1996, according to Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, women have been denied education, the opportunity to work and access to adequate medical care. They are not allowed to leave their houses without a male member of the family. Those who break the rules are often beaten or even killed, according to reports.

One of the most interesting aspects of working on this story was learning who Mavis Leno is and why she chose this cause. Married to Jay for 20 years, she happily stayed in the background of his career until now. She had been interested in feminist issues all her life and this was her chance to help shine a light on this global issue of gender apartheid against the women of Afghanistan.

After numerous unsuccessful attempts at getting the press involved, she freely admits she pulled out her biggest trump cards -- her husband and her money. After she and Jay made a $100,000 contribution to the foundation, she and Jay appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" to explain the subject matter and take viewer calls. After that appearance, she and Jay and the women of Afghanistan were on a roll. Mavis admits celebrity is what makes the difference.

The day we interviewed Mavis, TV producer Linda Bloodworth Thomason dropped by to reinforce the need for celebrity attention to a cause. She and Mavis had spent many hours working the phones and faxes of Hollywood's A-list to enlist their support for the fight against gender apartheid. They did one of the things Hollywood does best --gathering over 1,000 people at a splashy, glitzy event to learn more about the issue and raise money for additional public awareness events.

At a recent press conference, President Clinton said he will meet with Feminist Majority to further discuss the human rights abuses of the women of Afghanistan.

Recently, Mavis's efforts have led to planning an event this summer in Washington D.C. and one in the fall in New York.

Interested in learning more about Mavis Leno's campaign to help the women of Afghanistan? Watch the full interview on "NewsStand: CNN & Entertainment Weekly" May 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.