300 powerful Hollywood women have unveiled an anti-harassment action place to end sexual harassment in all workplaces, The New York Times reports. The Me Too movement gave rise to this action plan and new movement called Time’s Up, ABC News reports.
“TIME’S UP is a unified call for change from women in entertainment for women everywhere,” its website reads. “From movie sets to farm fields to boardrooms alike, we envision nationwide leadership that reflects the world in which we live.”
Time’s up on silence. Time’s up on waiting. Time’s up on tolerating discrimination, harassment and abuse. #TimesUp Sign the solidarity letter & donate to the @TIMESUPNW Legal Defense Fund: https://t.co/eTwKtOboIl pic.twitter.com/q8aok1HTGg
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) January 1, 2018
Time’s Up, according to The New York Times, was announced on Monday in an open letter signed by hundreds of women in the show business — including actresses Reese Witherspoon, Ashley Judd and Kerry Washington, producer Shonda Rhimes, Universal Pictures executive Donna Langley and lawyers Nina L. Shaw and Tina Tchen — to pledge their support to working-class women everywhere. The letter was also featured in a full-page advertisement in The New York Times and La Opinion, a Spanish-language newspaper.
“The struggle for women to break in, to rise up the ranks and to simply be heard and acknowledged in male-dominated workplaces must end; time’s up on this impenetrable monopoly,” the letter says.
“We want all survivors of sexual harassment, everywhere, to be heard, to be believed, and to know that accountability is possible,” the letter also says.
According to The New York Times, the initiative includes: a legal defense fund to help less privileged women, legislation that penalizes companies that consistently let sexual harassment persist in the workplace, as well as actions to stop the use of non-disclosure agreements. The women also hope to encourage other stars to wear black to the Golden Globes to raise awareness and to reach gender equality in movie studios and all other industries, ABC News reports.
I stand with ALL WOMEN across every industry to say #TIMESUP on abuse, harassment, marginalization and underrepresentation. Join me! Sign the statement of solidarity & donate to the @TIMESUPNW Legal Defense Fund: https://t.co/7FofMhTaUJ pic.twitter.com/vEB3jYCRgD
— Reese Witherspoon (@RWitherspoon) January 1, 2018
During the Me Too movement, people were concerned that the movement was overlooking the struggles and concerns of working-class women and was being dominated by the accusers of high-profile men, The New York Times reports. This concern was especially brought to light when a letter on behalf of nearly 700,000 female farmworkers said that the farmworkers stood with the celebrities to fight against the abuse.
“It’s very hard for us to speak righteously about the rest of anything if we haven’t cleaned our own house,” said “Scandal” executive producer Shonda Rhimes, who has been involved with Time’s Up. “If this group of women can’t fight for a model for other women who don’t have as much power and privilege, then who can?” Rhimes added.
According to ABC News, Time’s Up was formed shortly after Harvey Weinstein had been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct and gave way to the Me Too movement.
When talking about the group’s work, Rhimes said, “We’re a bunch of women used to getting stuff done. And we’re getting stuff done.”