Sunday, actress Alyssa Milano took to Twitter with a suggestion from a friend that would start a necessary social (media) movement. She wrote:

If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017

Hashtag #MeToo is more than a statement. It is a charge to all, to take notice of the fact that sexual assault and harassment are not only acts of aggression that sometimes goes with little to no consequence but that there are more men and women affected than have ever thought to speak up due to fear, judgment, financial loss, and many more unimaginable reasons. Until now. People have begun to support the hashtag movement, adding their names to the count of those whom such horrible acts have directly affected. Celebrities like Lady Gaga, Anika Noni Rose, Gabrielle Union and Rosario Dawson have even spoken up in support of the movement.

Since it’s inception, more than 20,000 #MeToo tweets have surfaced. Conveniently, allies have also begun tweeting #IBelieveYou to show support to victims who are admitting to being assaulted or harassed. Though jarring that such behaviors are still being ignored and many victims go unnoticed, we are thankful for the brevity of people like Alyssa who encourage all to reclaim the time that was stolen and to utilize their voices to tell the world these heinous acts do not define them. In reality, creating this platform and uniting people no matter their gender or race is the perfect way to defy this aggression.

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