The 75th annual Golden Globes awards was unlike any of its predecessors. Hosted by Seth Meyers, the event ran in the usual fashion, but this anniversary show had an added element on the red carpet–the color black. Celebrity after celebrity made their way to the show sporting black evening gowns and sleek tuxedos in support of the Time’s Up Initiative, which aims at ending sexual assault and harassment in the workplace.
“Times Up” launched on January 1st, 2018 with a “Letter of Solidarity” that reads:
“Dear sisters, We write on behalf of over 300 women who work in film, television, and theatre.” The letter was written in the wake of the #MeToo movement, founded by Tarana Burke in 2006.
The letter acknowledges the strength of the everyday working class women who endure and succeed despite an unending cycle of harassment, the systemic gender inequality that exists in the workplace, and the privileged stance of those who penned the essay. Lastly, it ends with a commitment to “holding [their] own workspaces accountable,” while also “pushing for swift and effective change” in the entertainment industry. From Amandla Stenberg and Amy Poehler to Shonda Rhimes and Yara Shahidi, 300 women signed the “Letter of Solidarity” to show their support and countless others applauded the movement on social media.
At the Times Up Now website, a full rundown of the initiative and its aims is listed, including several powerful mission statements, one of which reads below:
“Powered by women, Time’s Up addresses the systemic inequality and injustice in the workplace that have kept underrepresented groups from reaching their full potential. We partner with leading advocates for equality and safety to improve laws, employment agreements, and corporate policies; help change the face of corporate boardrooms and the C-suite; and enable more women and men to access our legal system to hold wrongdoers accountable.”
The website also features research and statistics that show the realities that women face daily in the workplace, including the fact that “nearly half of working women in the U.S. have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.” In addition to the figures, you can find information about the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund– set up to help defray legal costs of sexual assault and harassment cases–as well as news related to the initiative.
This movement is important because it’s bringing something to light that would have once brought shame and judgement to so many people. Coupled with #MeToo, Time’s Up is a recognition from the powerful men and women of Hollywood that they work in an industry that is unequal and unjust and that something needs to be done about it.