Shonda Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd and Kerry Washington are just a few of the household names joining forces with a new initiative to fund and fight sexual harassment in the workplace.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “the plan includes a legal defense fund to help women in blue-collar industries protect themselves from sexual misconduct, support for the “50/50 by 2020” effort to bring gender parity to the executive suites at Hollywood studios and talent agencies, and the call for women to wear black to the upcoming Golden Globe Awards as a sign of solidarity with victims of sexual harassment. The New York Times reports that though Time’s Up has no central leaders, it is made up of numerous committees and includes Rhimes and Witherspoon among the key players, and its initiatives—which also includes the anti-sexual harassment commission unveiled last month and chaired by Anita Hill—cover legislation, corporate policy, hiring practices and aggregating important resources. Well-known contributors to the defense fund, currently accepting donations on the GoFundMe platform, include Ava DuVernay, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Regina King, Felicity Huffman, Megan Ellison, Kate Hudson, Viola Davis, Alicia Vikander, Amy Poehler, Olivia Munn, Taylor Swift and Jessica Chastain, among many others.”
“’Earning a living should not come at the cost of anyone’s safety, dignity or morale,’ Rhimes said in the announcement. ‘Every person should get to work in an environment free from abuse, assault and discrimination. It’s well past time to change the culture of the environment where most of us spend the majority of our day—the workplace. Fifty-one percent of our population is female, over 30 percent of our population is of color. Those are important, vital, economically powerfully voices that need to be heard at every level. Time’s Up is working to make sure the people walking the corridors of power within the workplace and in politics truly reflect the full mix of America—the real America that looks like and includes all of us. Look, this isn’t going to be easy but it is right. And fighting for what is right can seem hard. But letting what is wrong become normal is not easier—it is just more shameful.’”
You can read more about the initiative here.
