Know the Importance of the #metoo Movement!
#Metoo Movement
Sexual harassment, sexual assault, and sexual abuse are more common than you think, and the #metoo movement is bringing many of these situations to light.
As of 2019, over 250 people have been accused by the #metoo movement, a social movement that is being used to shine a light on alleged sexual abusers.
One of those is Junot Diaz, an author whom 8th graders might be familiar with. He wrote “The Terror,” a memoir that was one of the texts the 8th graders assessed in ELA class.
Even though he has spoken out against racial discrimination, Diaz has allegedly “forcibly kissed” a woman, and “subjected them (other women) to misogynistic or verbally abusive behavior.” MIT ran an investigation on him, but found no evidence suggesting that he actually did this.
Although the evidence in Diaz’s case is lacking, the #metoo movement has helped convict its fair share of sexual predators.
One of the more infamous of the accused is Harvey Weinstein, a former film producer. He has had countless accusations of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and rape.
Weinstein was very recently convicted of these crimes in a trial in Los Angeles, California. He could face an additional 24 years in prison, along with his 23 year sentence from a New York courtroom. This is due to the #metoo movement.
The #metoo movement was first started by Tarana Burke in 2006, but started gaining popularity in 2017.
But sexual violence didn’t just start when the #metoo movement started.
In short, sexual violence is a very real, very scary thing. We should be speaking out and educating people on consent and toxic masculinity. The most common age group of sexual assault is 14-17 years old. Sexual abuse and other related crimes are happening to people our age.
As we begin to reach adulthood, we must learn to advocate against these terrible crimes and help those who have already been harmed by sexual violence.
One way to help is to go to #metoo’s website.
You could also watch documentaries about feminism and sexual harassment, such as “She Said.” It’s a new movie about the aforementioned Harvey Weinstein.
I hope that I have inspired you to be part of this conversation.
