Leslie Odom Jr. Joins Hollywood Stars to Celebrate World Humanitarian Day

Leslie Odom Jr.'s been busy since he left Hamilton earlier this summer, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon! Broadway fans know him to be just as kind and generous as he is talented, and on Friday, August 19th, he teamed up with several Hollywood stars, including Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer, to perform at a United Nations benefit to celebrate World Humanitarian Day and encourage people around the world to take action for humanitarian efforts.

On World Humanitarian Day, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, is calling for increased global leadership to address humanitarian crises.

"Today, the scale of human suffering is greater than at any time since the United Nations was founded. A record 130 million people are now dependent on the United Nations and our many partners for protection and survival because of conflict, disaster or acute vulnerability. On World Humanitarian Day, let us all recommit to humanity and ask what we can each do to make a difference," he said.

People around the world, be they individuals, or well-known public figures like actress Rosario Dawson, entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya, will amplify this call for change through the World Humanitarian Day digital campaign, "The World You'd Rather." The online experience gives people the opportunity to use their social voice to demand a world in which they'd rather live. At www.worldhumanitarianday.org, users can take a short quiz - a humanitarian edition of the popular 'would you rather' game - that puts them in the shoes of a person coping with humanitarian crisis.

"In crises around the world, from Syria to South Sudan, people are forced to make impossible choices - risking violence for food or risking drowning in search of a safe haven - choices that most of us can barely imagine," warned UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien. "We call on all global citizens to show solidarity, use their voice and demand that world leaders take action."

The call to action follows on the heels of the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, which took place in May this year in Istanbul. At the Summit, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on global leaders to support his Agenda for Humanity: a five-point plan that outlines the changes that are needed to alleviate suffering, reduce risk and lessen vulnerability on a global scale.

Check out the photos of Leslie's performance below and let them inspire you to pay it forward this weekend!