By: Jasmine Gates
The #MeToo movement started in 2006.
So why did it take the rest of the world over a decade to get on board?
With a Black woman as the founder of the movement, were the faces she represented not worthy of the outrage that came after the world learned of the victims from producer Harvey Weinstein’s scandal?
The world may never know. However, American society has indirectly given us the answers to many of our questions.
In 2017, days after learning of the accusations against Weinstein, Alyssa Milano (an Italian-American woman) posted a tweet calling victims to write “#MeToo” in their status to show the world how often sexual misconduct occurs.
What many people didn’t know is that the #MeToo movement had already been created by a black woman named Tarana Burke. Milano, of course, took back to Twitter to give Burke her credit. However, the tweet gave the movement what many would say was a “necessary push.” The following year, sexual misconduct was the main topic of discussion during award season.
Celebrities were eloquently seaming “#MeToo” into their acceptance speeches, calling out the wrongdoers in the industry while failing to accept the fact that victims do not only exist in Hollywood.
Currently, the purpose of the movement seems as if it was replaced instead of being added to. What the movement originally represented is not what we see today and honestly, as a Black woman who is a victim of sexual misconduct, I do not feel supported by the movement.
In October of 2018 Burke shared similar sentiments, stating that the movement has become about “what other White rich man is going to lose his privileges for a period of time.” She also stated “#MeToo” doesn’t have a space for Black girls.” If Burke, who has mentioned being a victim of sexual misconduct, were 15 today, she would not be supported by the movement she created; a movement created out of the trauma she endured!
The advocate being erased from the list of being advocated for seems like a complex reality, but it is very much so a reality!
So, what separates 15-year-old Tarana from other victims? Why did the image of White and/or prominent women saying “Me Too” take precedent over the overwhelming amount of victims that look like Tarana?
This rhetoric is not new to America. This dates back to the Women’s Suffrage movement of 1848. It divided the Black and White feminists due to their difference in motives. White women fought for parity while Black women fought for unity, two separate things that don’t typically exist together.
The reality is that White women will benefit from Black women’s fight for unity. However, Black women have no place in a White women’s fight for parity. Because of this, we have seen White women ride on the coattails of Black women resulting in the faces of Black women being replaced and their stories being erased.
