‘Me Too’: two words with a deep meaning

“The first time it happened, I was 13. The boss wanted to talk to me about [a cash shortage] in the back. But when I got to the manager’s office, she wasn’t there. Instead, there was the owner, an older man. He told me to sit down in the locker room… He sat next to me [and] as he moved up his hand up my thigh, I bolted out the door and ran to the bus crying.”

These harrowing words are those of Montclair State professor, Brigid Callahan Harrison. Prof. Harrison who teaches political science and law opened up about her experience with sexual harassment in an op/ed column on nj.com. She joins thousands of other victims who bravely shared their stories through the ‘me too’ campaign which has been brought into mainstream by a tweet from Hollywood actress, Alyssa Milano.

Back in October, in the wake of sexual misconduct accusations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, Milano made a post on twitter asking anyone who’s ever been sexually harassed or assaulted to reply ‘me too’. And as we now know it, the responses that followed were numerous. Overnight, thousands of people came together and retweeted these two words. From famous actresses to non-celebrities, people all around the world took part in the conversation, marking the birth of the well-known hashtag.

However, ‘me too’ goes beyond the hashtag. It is a movement; one that was started years ago by activist Tarana Burke.

Burke initiated the movement back in 2007 after experiencing a poignant moment some years before.

As she openly shares on her non-profit organization’s website, Just Be Inc., Burke was a youth camp worker at the time. During an all-girl bonding session, she listened to young girls sharing intimate life stories, some that were “quite painful”. One of the girls who attended the session came up to Burke the next day wishing “to speak [with her] privately.” And from that private talk came out a horrific tale of abuse; one that would haunt Burke for years as she, a victim of abuse herself was unable “to whisper… me too.”

Fast forward to a decade, Burke created the “me too” campaign and found the non-profit organization, Just Be Inc. to empower and guide young women of color “as they grow and begin to define themselves.”

Burke’s long fight against sexual abuse and harassment combined with the hashtag on twitter began the revolution but the issue of sexual assault and harassment isn’t certainly new.

“The hashtag has made a lot of people aware to this [issue, but] sexual harassment has always been around,” said Gina Bakri, a student studying Journalism. She applauds the women coming forward to share their stories and hopes it would lead to change.

But such change must come with sanctions, according to Adrianne Natoli, a senior studying Journalism.

“If no one goes to jail, it’s a movement,” Natoli said. “Until someone is penalized for their behavior, I think things will die down and begin again.”

Natoli who is now retired, has been in the workforce for more than 40 years. She worked for the railroad which is a male dominated industry.

“When working in that environment with a lot of men of all ages, a “colored line” fades. But you [must] let them know that’s not the way [things] are going.” She added that she reported all instances where she felt harassed and things worked out.

But in this era of “me too” with almost daily accusations from women against powerful men, some doubts have also risen. Some people struggle with believing every story that is told. “Morning Joe” cohost Mika Brzezinski recently expressed some doubtful thinking on the women coming forward.

“In this #metoo movement, you must always believe the women and I think that there’s a lot of reasons why we need to look at the women seriously and believe them.” She cited Leann Tweeden, the first woman to come forward with accusations against senator, Al Franken and referenced her past as a playboy model.

“[There has to be] a way to determine that the women are telling the truth,” said Natoli. “No one wants to see a man or a woman get convicted for something he or she didn’t do. But with so many women coming [forward], there must be some truth in it.”

This cast of doubt is one amongst other issues some people are having with the “me too” movement. Some people are wary and fearful of the repercussions it might bring.

Staten Island lawmaker, Diane Savino shared a post on Facebook earlier this month where she stated, “what is going to happen now is that less women will be given opportunities in the government.”

Savino’s beliefs partially resonate with people. But ultimately as Natoli stated, it seems to be all worth it.

“It’s worth the risk for the future.”