NEW YORK (AP) — #MeToo founder Tarana Burke has heard it before. Every time there’s a legal setback, the movement is declared dead in the water. A legal success, and presto, it’s alive again.
So Burke, who nearly two decades ago coined the phrase “Me too” from her work with sexual assault survivors, found herself again declaring after New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction: The #MeToo reckoning is greater than any court case. It’s still there, and it’s working.
The most obvious proof, Burke said: “Ten years ago we could not get a man like Harvey Weinstein into the courtroom.”
The movement, she said, was responsible for that huge cultural shift — regardless of the Hollywood mogul’s ultimate legal fate.
Also seeking to take the long view, following a legal setback that stunned many survivors and advocates, was Anita Hill. She testified against Clarence Thomas during his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearing, becoming the face of the fight against sexual harassment more than a quarter-century before the Weinstein revelations launched the #MeToo movement.
Bears banking on Caleb Williams after taking the 2022 Heisman winner with No. 1 pick in NFL draft
Helping Residents Understand Law
County Helps Residents Resolve Marital, Family Disputes
Federation Helps Gansu Women Study, Use Laws
Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah looks to finish historic season unbeaten and with more trophies
Suzhou Strengthens Family Education
Organizations Aim for Better Protection of Women with Revised Law
Helping Residents Understand Law
Prosecutors want a reversal after a Texas woman's voter fraud conviction was overturned
Organizations Work Together to Protect Women, Children's Rights, Interests
A's place second baseman Zack Gelof on injured list with left oblique strain
Micro Courts Provide Legal Services to Women