CDI Corner
CDI Corner
“ Me Too ”
LISA KOHRING
The term “ Me too ” was coined in 2006 by activist Tarana Burke as a means of empowering sexual assault victims to identify themselves to fellow victims without directly “ out [ ing ] themselves .” A victim of sexual assault herself , Ms . Burke began a campaign to help women of color to cope with sexual abuse , assault , and exploitation . She ’ s been working for the past two decades faithfully dedicated to creating programs to help victims of abuse , most recently as the Senior Director at Girls for Gender Equity , a non-profit organization dedicated to the “ physical , psychological , social , and economic development of girls and women .”
In October of 2017 , Tarana Burk ’ s “ Me Too ” campaign literally caught fire and transmogrified into an international movement . This time actress Alyssa Milano sparked the movement when she tweeted “# MeToo ” after news broke of Harvey Weinstein ’ s alleged pattern of sexual assault on young and impressionable Hollywood celebrities . Also a victim of sexual assault , Ms . Milano tweeted “ Me Too ” as a means of shifting the conversation away from the accused and onto the victim . The result of the tweet was the creation of this massive digital communication network for sexual assault victims to talk about their experiences and to build strength in those shared experiences . Since the Weinstein scandal was publicized , a slew of high profile men have been accused of inappropriate conduct and thousands of victims have come forward to speak about their experiences . # MeToo was tweeted more than 12 million times and it ignited an international conversation about victims of sexual assault in the workplace .
The # MeToo movement has also inspired a number of high profile women to invest in the fight to eradicate sexual harassment and abuse . A group of Hollywood celebrities and activists including Shonda Rimes , Meryl Streep , Reese Witherspoon and J . J . Abrams have banded together to create the ‘ Time is Up ’ Legal Defense Fund . The fund is managed by Tina Tchen , the former Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama , and it ’ s raised over $ 13 million dollars to help offset the costs of litigating sexual abuse and harassment claims on behalf low-wage victims . At the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards in January , Oprah Winfrey delivered a powerful and inspiring speech about the “ Me Too ” movement , where supporters of the movement dressed in all black and activists adorned the red carpet . During her speech , she exclaimed “ time is up ” for the unyielding power of men who seek to suppress the voices of sexual harassment victims and she concluded with a sense of hope for a future where “ nobody ever has to say ‘ Me Too ’ again .” Two weeks later , at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival , United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discussed her own experiences as a young woman in the 1950 ’ s and 1960 ’ s working in a male field . When asked how she felt about the “ Me Too ” movement , Justice Ginsburg smiled and responded “ it ’ s about time .”
Although the majority seems to support the “ Me Too ” movement as a means of empowering women and assuring them that they can speak out and speak up without fear of retribution , the movement has also acquired its share of opponents . Most recently , a major debate has erupted in France after more than one hundred prominent French women including French actress Catherine Deneuve spoken out against the movement claiming it ’ s a “ threat to sexual freedom ” and a “ witch hunt ” that is “ taking women backwards .”
Whether you support the Me Too movement or believe it ’ s a Witch hunt , sexual harassment and abuse is conduct that is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated in any form , from any person , in any environment . Sexual harassment and abuse is widespread in the United States , just look at the staggering numbers – more than 33 million women in the United States identify as victims of sexual harassment and another 14 million women identify as victims of sexual abuse .
Lisa Kohring is a Senior Litigation Associate with the School District of Palm Beach County and can be reached at Lisa . kohring @ palmbeachshools . org
PALMBEACHBAR . ORG 11
The bottom line : the more we talk about the epidemic , the more aware we all become , and the better able we are , as a society , to reverse course .
1 Me Too founder Tarana Burke : ‘ You have to use your privilege to serve other people ’, The Guardian , Jan . 15 , 2018 .
2 An activist , a little girl and the heartbreaking origin of ‘ Me too , CNN , Cassandra Santiago and Doug Chris , October 17 , 2017 .
3 Girls for Gender Equity mission statement and vision , found at : http :// www . ggenyc . org / about / mission-vision /
4 Alyssa Milano Wants Her “ MeToo Campaign to Elevate Harvey Weinstein Discussion , Rolling Stones , Joyce Chen , October 17 , 2017 .
5 From Hashtag to Legal Defense Fund : Hollywood Women Given Teeth to # MeToo , Rewire , Bryce Covert , Jan . 8 , 2018 .
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