Has the #Me Too Movement Created Unity for Black Women?
We always see justice for women who are well off but what about the women who cannot afford it or are misrepresented?
The Me Too Movement has been the epitome of women’s empowerment and unity amongst women with similar stories of sexual indecency; whether rape, assault or harassment. Nevertheless, the main staple that is missing from this movement is the representation and defense of women of color. The Me Too Movement began in 2006 by Tarana Burke — it was made by Black women for Black women. However, if it wasn’t for white American actress, Alyssa Milano, the movement would not have gained the traction and popularity it did. For example, the media was very selective of the stories they decided to share in Harvey Weinstein’s case. Many women that came out to testify such as Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cara Delevigne, all received support and comfort from the world. However, this narrative rarely seen among Black women being included in these freeing moments, therefore separating Afro- Latina, Lupita Nyong’o from the other victims.
Due to the insufficient amount of support that black women get in these situations, one could say that the current Me Too Movement is selective in who they choose to support. You would think that as feminists, people who support women (like… all women), would support and unite women from all races.
Me Too has a good motive, but it is flawed. Not only is it silencing Black feminists but also failing to represent all women, especially those most vulnerable. The Me Too Movement has had a positive impact on women in cases of their assaulters being convicted or being removed from their platforms, but on the other hand, the movement has also silenced many women of color.
To begin, the Me Too Movement has silenced many Black women’s testimonies and efforts to create unity among women, whether through lack of credit or through improper platforms. The Me Too Movement was created by an African- American activist and survivor of rape, Tarana Burke in 2006. Her gesture to build support for Black women was overshadowed when Alyssa Milano got on Twitter, encouraging women to share their experiences. Milano’s offering of support gained traction for the movement in October 2017: In The Atlantic article “The Glaring Blind Spot of the ‘Me Too’ Movement” by Senior Associate Editor, Gillian B. White (2017), says, “What got lost amid those calls was the fact that the originator of that slogan was a Black woman named Tarana Burke, who came up with the concept more than a decade ago” (para. 6). This is a prime example of Black women being put on the back burner because someone more “relevant” came along to bring popularity to the hashtag.
Tarana Burke used her experience, counselling a young girl telling her story, to empower women who were degraded by creating the slogan. Many people disregarded Burke’s efforts to create the movement while also disregarding her speech in 2014 where she used Me Too to emphasize the importance of community for Black women who are victim to rape and sexual assault.
Even now, not many people know who she is, nor do they know that she is the founder. The world redirected her spotlight to Alyssa Milano, highlighting her positive attempt to encourage women to speak up on sexual assault. Safe spaces created with the ‘new’ face of the Me Too Movement were tailored to white women. This is heavily problematic as not many women of color have the support in their communities to speak. Many times, family members and friends try to either hush them, or people do not believe them. For that reason, Burke created this movement as a means of giving Black women and girls a place to be heard.
Moreover, in her Washington Post journal entry, “Recy Taylor, Oprah Winfrey and the long history of Black women saying #Me Too”, Danielle McGuire talks about the black women whose stories were forgotten, hidden, or overshadowed in feminist history. “Black women who have endured public humiliation and risked their lives to lead the charge against unchecked sexual violence experiences often buried in the account of America’s feminist history” (para. 8). In this quote, McGuire connects Recy Taylor’s story to the experience of Black women today and in the 1830s. These stories are still not discussed or considered in current society.
Similarly to the Me Too Movement, there was the Montgomery Improvement Association which stood for the rights of Black people. Many times in the days of slavery and oppression, women who went to court to press charges, would watch their assaulters get away without punishment. The Association was created to provide a force of protection for women in situations like these.
People such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr impacted the association greatly in those times. Even now, with the Me Too Movement, Black women have been trying to pull each other up, but with the lack of public representation, there is not much community. The height of movements such as these have been rooted in the Black community and have strengthened Black women in their encounters. The Me Too Movement needs to open up and be more inclusive in supporting all women, those of high status should be connecting with women who are less fortunate, rather than silencing their stories.
Secondly, the Me Too Movement that gained the popularity of Hollywood, fails to represent women from various walks of life, whether it be women of color or women in marginalized communities. In the Popsugar blog, “For Black Women Survivors, Me Too Is Still Falling Short”, Jordannah Elizabeth describes her experience of being raped in return for elevation in her music career: “The resources, safe spaces, and platforms specifically created for black women survivors were transferred to wealthy white women” (para. 8). The Me Too Movement’s current front displays white women that are well off or known in Hollywood.
With that portrayal in the media, young Black girls that are victim to sexual violence will not feel the support or encouragement to speak up. As we now know from research, the Me Too Movement was created for people in low income communities, who do not have a sufficient amount of money to get a good lawyer to defend their cases. With the lack of defense, the cycle of Black women suppressing their experiences will continue, which will lead to a further breakdown of the community.
Furthermore, The New Yorker’s culture writer, Doreen St. Félix, goes in depth to blatantly provide her point of view on the Me Too Movement in her article “One Year of #Me Too: We Need a More Inclusive Language of Abuse and Victimhood”. “But the terms of #Me Too have always been dictated by the moneyed and the beautiful” (para, 4). As you can see from this quote, the Me Too Movement is selective about who they choose to represent in the media and it is visible to people watching. Most of the women they show in media have been actresses, models, and business women who are white and represent high status.
Most of these women can afford a good defense team that will ensure they win their cases, especially those that date back to early 2000s or late 90s. Of course we all see the victories and the tears of joy for the women who get their justice, but it is unfair to the young Black girl that cannot afford a lawyer team to get her justice because she simply does not have a sufficient amount of money to get one. Black women and girls brought up in these communities feel as though they cannot participate in Me Too because they do not see themselves being mirrored or represented in the movement.
In conclusion, the Me Too Movement, has covered up a lot of their wrongdoings by representing women who are victim to sexual assault. While it has impacted white society, it fails to have a significant impact on Black women because it silences their testimonies. Not only has the movement silenced Black women’s experience, it has also overshadowed their ability to empower women of marginalized communities.
For example, Tarana Burke’s efforts that she put forth when creating the Me Too hashtag in 2006 — something she had a connection to, was taken and made “popular” after American actress Alyssa Milano spoke on the topic. The Movement was altered to fit white Hollywood, which created safe spaces and comfort for women of that caliber. Mind you, those safe spaces excluded women of color who needed it more, due to their surroundings and the inability to create or maintain safe spaces to tell their stories.
