Setting the Stage
In 1991, Anita Hill testified before the United States Senate at the confirmation hearing for appointed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Hill stood in front of the eyes of the nation recounting how as a law clerk she faced a series of unwanted sexual advances from the Supreme Court Nominee. Male senators, including current President-Elect Joe Biden, questioned the successful lawyer’s moral integrity and took blows to her character. Anita Hill stated in response to the questions, “this is not something I would have come forward with if I were not absolutely sure” [1]. As the nation watched this unprecedented hearing unfold the harsh reality set in: there are millions of women who share the same experience as Hill.
Tarana Burke, a Black female activist, decided in 2006 she was going to make an impact in her community. She coined the phrase “Me Too” as the title of a MySpace page, a virtual safe space for women to seek support for their experience with sexual harassment. Shortly after, Me Too grew to become an organization whose mission is “to help survivors of sexual violence, particularly Black women and girls, and other young women of color from low wealth communities, find pathways to healing” [2].
On October 5, 2017, The New York Times shook the nation with a jaw-dropping exposé that uncovered over three decades of predatory behavior from the well-known Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The New York Times displayed accounts of Weinstein’s behavior towards women in the industry including big-name actresses like Ashely Judd, young aspiring actresses, and women who worked for his production companies [2].
In response to the article, actress Alyssa Milano posted on Facebook and Twitter asking women to step forward if they have experience sexual harassment or assault. Tens of thousands of women tweeted the words “Me Too” [3]. The phrase Tarana Burke had coined eleven years prior became synonymous with the fight against sexual harassment in the workplace. A flurry of newstories and tweets attached with #MeToo became the focus of the media and the nation for the following year [2].
In Fall 2018, President Donald Trump— a focal point of the Me Too movement— nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Dr. Christine Blasely Ford came forward and testified before the senate with claims of sexual assault from Kavanaugh in years prior. The hearing reignited the frustrations and outcries of disappointment as Anita Hill’s testimony 27 years earlier [2]. Another woman’s experience discredited and her assailant, considered a voice of reason, sits as a Justice in the highest court of the land. An all too familiar experience for women unfolds as the reality sets in that another barrier for equality in the workplace has been set in place for decades to come.
References:
1.Flanagan, Caitlin. “The Problem With HR.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, July 11, 2019. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/07/hr-workplace-harrassment-metoo/590644/ .
2.Jones, Trina and Emma E. Wade. "Me Too? Race, Gender, and Ending Workplace Sexual Harassment." Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy 27, no. 1 (19, 2020): 203-225. https://search-proquest-com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/2425833629?accountid=14541 .
3.Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano), “Me Too.”, Twitter, October 15, 2017, https://twitter.com/alyssa_milano/status/919659438700670976?lang=en