#MeToo Restoring Optimism for Social Activist
For the first time in a long while,听听has donned rose-colored glasses.
鈥淢e being optimistic is new, because I haven鈥檛 been in years. But #MeToo did something for me,鈥 she said, citing a hashtag created in fall 2017 to show just how commonplace sexual assault and harassment have become. A social activist focused on relationship violence and women鈥檚 health, Gooden was on campus for an April 12 address to the University community for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Her speech, titled 鈥淭he Age of Empowerment for Women,鈥 was all about sharing her optimism and catalyzing momentum.
Although her optimism may be new, her interest in catalysis dates back several years. Gooden is known internationally as the creator of #WhyIStayed, a Twitter hashtag that went viral in 2014 in the aftermath of a domestic abuse episode involving NFL player Ray Rice. After observing that too many media pundits were asking not why Rice abused his fianc茅 but rather why she stayed with him, Gooden took to Twitter to list a number of reasons why she had remained in a marriage marred by violence. And then she went to lunch.
When she returned to her computer, her hashtag had gone viral, with women from all corners of the country chiming in with their own stories and reasons for staying. Two days later, Gooden was sharing her views on Good Morning America.
To many observers, Gooden鈥檚 hashtag campaign could well be considered the precursor to #MeToo. After all, it brought an unpleasant topic to social media鈥檚 center stage. In fact, #WhyIStayed was listed as one of 2014鈥檚 top social change hashtags by Forbes. Time magazine, meanwhile, ranked it one of the top 10 hashtags for starting a conversation. And in March 2015, #WhyIStayed was listed as one of eight hashtags that changed the world.
For all that recognition, Gooden considers her famous campaign a fleeting phenomenon 鈥 just 鈥渁 moment鈥 in the social media story. #WhyIStay resonated for a few weeks and then slipped off the radar screen. But #MeToo, she said, appears to have staying power, to represent the emergence of a new age.
鈥淭his feels so different. I鈥檓 35, and I can鈥檛 remember [anything] like this,鈥 she explained. 鈥淭he #MeToo hashtag was started in September or October, and now we鈥檙e in April and we鈥檙e still talking about it. It could have died out over the holidays, when everybody started thinking about other things, but this hasn鈥檛 gone away. I feel like it鈥檚 important to call it an age because now we鈥檙e seeing things happen. We鈥檙e having marches 鈥 we鈥檙e seeing consequences for the actions that brought about #MeToo. It just feels like an age; if feels like something that is going to last awhile.鈥
What鈥檚 behind all this muscle? It didn鈥檛 hurt, Gooden said, that #MeToo was started by Hollywood celebrities or that its debut followed the successful Women鈥檚 March in January 2017, just one day after President Donald Trump鈥檚 inauguration. Trump鈥檚 campaign, Gooden noted, was marked by any number of sexual assault accusations and by behavior many women deemed offensive. What鈥檚 more, his victory torpedoed hopes that the country would finally elect its first woman president.
In addition to galvanizing optimism and turbocharging activism, Gooden targeted her 91看片 appearance at reminding the audience of the many women throughout history who have aided the cause. Knowing history and understanding context, she said, are essential if women are to make progress.
鈥淸History] tells us how to act, how to organize. What works, what doesn鈥檛 work,鈥 she said. Just as important, exploring history 鈥渁llows us the opportunity to give [earlier feminists and activists] credit, when maybe they didn鈥檛 get any before.鈥
And honoring history means continuing the struggle.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see misogyny going away; I don鈥檛 see men giving up the power they have any time soon,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut I think my grandchildren will see it. I think my children might see it. That鈥檚 why I do activism.鈥