The #MeToo Movement hit social media in an uproar toward the end of 2017, as a way for women and a few men to speak up against sexual assault, after actress Alyssa Milano posted on her Twitter, “Me too.  Suggested by a friend: “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too.’ As a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.” 

It was not long before “[the tweet] was shared in more than 12 million posts and reactions in the first 24 hours,” according to the Associated Press.

 Despite the recent popularity of the movement, the campaign began with Tarana Burke, creator of Just Be Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps victims of sexual harassment and assault, describes the moment she sat across from a 13-year-old girl who had been sexually assaulted as early as 1997, in which the #MeToo campaign originated, according to The New York Times.

Up until social media got ahold of the hashtag, Burke had not received much support, especially from white feminists. 

Due to historical contrasts caused by the lack of visibility of the deeper level of oppression that women of color have received, certain feminists neglected a level of intersectionality that feminism should take into consideration when pursuing change.  

Nevertheless, as the hashtag gained more popularity, colleges campuses have been flooded with calls for change, especially in Atlanta, Georgia, at Spelman and Morehouse College. 

Protesters and flyers appeared accusing athletes and fraternities of sexual violence, with some victims naming their abusers. The flyers were promptly taken down. The next morning Morehouse was covered in graffiti as well as an explosion of the hashtag occurred on Twitter. 

Luckily for a school like Shippensburg University, Title IX, an education amendment that protects students from being discriminated against based on sex, and those who are mandated reporters at the institution must report any sexual violence they may see or hear about from students, is still enforced. 

Despite the success of the amendment,  Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Secretary of Education, rolled back the amendment, which changes how schools are mandated to handle sexual assault cases. 

If you or anyone you know is a victim of sexual assault, know that you can contact the police station on campus or in the town of Shippensburg, as well as the counseling center, the Women’s Center and any mandated reporter for assistance on how to get help. 

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