2019 The Me Too movement Archives - Sydney Peace Foundation

Podcast: TARANA BURKE ON ME TOO & BUILDING A MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE

Sydney Peace Foundation — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 21:22:40 +0000

During her time in Australia to accept the 2019 Sydney Peace Prize on behalf of the Me Too movement, Tarana Burke spoke with Vogue Australia’s Clare Press about the origins of Me Too, the viral hashtag, and how work to combat sexual violence is peace work.

This interview was conducted by Clare Press and first appeared on Wardrobe Crisis.

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‘A phenomenal leap’: Tarana Burke on #MeToo’s success so far and next steps

Sydney Peace Foundation — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 04:28:06 +0000

If it’s possible to galvanise people starting with a hashtag, then so much more is possible, the Sydney Peace prize winner says

After being named among a group of prominent activists against sexual violence known as “the silence breakers” in Time magazine’s 2017 person of the year edition, Tarana Burke went from being a grassroots civil rights activist to one of the global faces of the reckoning against predatory men.

Women globally united around the #MeToo movement that erupted in the aftermath of accusations against the Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, using social media to share their experiences of sexual harassment and to call their abusers out. But as hopes were raised that society was finally taking the daily and gross injustices being faced by women seriously, a pushback began.

There were criticisms that #MeToo was accusing men and behaviours nowhere near as predatory as Weinstein, and the hashtag #NotAllMen surged in response. Commentators worried men were becoming the victims of a feminist witch-hunt. There were fears the movement excluded as many women as it empowered. Two years later, typing the phrase “has #MeToo gone too far” into Google brings up 5.8m results.

For her role in a movement that had swelled far beyond any one person’s control, Burke was trolled and attacked online and publicly, often viciously.

Burke, who will be in Australia in November to accept the Sydney Peace prize for her foundational work with #MeToo, says despite the difficulties the movement has faced, she has always been someone to “see the glass as half full”.

“Donald Trump did not invent sexism and misogyny or rape culture or any of those things,” she says. “Neither did [US supreme court judge] Brett Kavanaugh. They are both extreme, really gross examples of what happens when there’s an unchecked accumulation of power.

“But previously with both men the behaviour wasn’t even called out. We could not identify it because nobody talked about it. People wouldn’t join those who wanted to fight.

“So I think it’s important to acknowledge the fact that these men are not just being allowed to behave that way without any consequences, even if the consequence is just being accused and called out. The fact of the matter is we have a lot of work to do and a long way to go. But what #MeToo has done is sort of blow up an old paradigm and make space for this new one that is more inclusive, and more expansive. Now we can raise our voices, we can galvanise, and that’s a phenomenal leap from where we were 30 years ago.

“If it’s possible to galvanise people starting with a hashtag, to get them to stand up and raise their voices and be counted and be a part of this global community, then so much more is possible.”

‘The vision has not changed’
Burke’s work began on the streets, helping girls across the US heal from and share their stories of sexual violence at the hands of their friends, family members, carers and strangers in a program of empathy she called Me Too. She is now 46 and the senior director of Girls for Gender Equity in Brooklyn. Despite her public profile, Burke insists her work now is not far removed from where it began in Alabama decades ago.

“Back then I was doing this out of my living room, just trying to think of strategy and trying to think of what could make it so that people understood that we have to collectively address sexual violence,” Burke says.

“And in my lifetime, before I close my eyes, I’m accepting awards in Australia and talking to people in other countries about the very same vision. The vision has not changed, which for me has always been about creating communities for survivors where they can find their own way to healing and activating folks to be leaders in the movement against sexual violence. Nothing about that has changed, but we just have way more people to talk to now.”

Towards the top of her list of people to talk to about sexual violence are US voters. She describes the 2020 US presidential election as “one of the most important elections in our lifetime”.

“And nobody, not any of the candidates are talking enough about sexual violence,” she says. “You have so many millions of people who came forward and said that their lives have been affected by sexual violence and then, nothing. To not hear a response from the people who want to be in leadership in this country is super problematic. So we’ve created a new hashtag, called #MeTooVoter.”

Burke believes sexual violence should be addressed by politicians and the media as a public health crisis. If a disease broke out tomorrow affecting millions of people globally, “the world would literally stop”, she says.

“There would be non-stop coverage asking: what is this disease that everybody has? How did we not see it coming? How did we get here? Where did it come from? You have people that cross every demographic you can think of whose lives are affected by this thing. And that means those people are voters and taxpayers. And I mean, politicians, they’re accountable to us.

“The second thing right behind that question people would be asking is, well, how do we stop it? And then the very next question would be, how do we make sure that we never end up here again?”

It is that last question that has Burke’s attention. She wants to explore and expose the roots of sexual violence, which she says can differ between countries and cultures. She is having conversations with #MeToo campaigns in Africa, Sweden and India to understand how the public and policymakers are responding to sexual harassment.

Building a diverse and inclusive movement
Burke will receive the annual Sydney peace prize alongside the Australian author and broadcaster Tracey Spicer, who was part of a Walkley award-winning team that exposed multiple allegations of sexual harassment and bullying by the Australian TV personality Don Burke.

Spicer was elevated to a spokeswoman in Australia for the #MeToo movement thanks to her role in the investigation and public call-out for women to disclose their experiences of sexual harassment. Spicer created Now Australia in the aftermath of her journalism to support survivors. But she has since stepped back from the organisation, and last week a BuzzFeed investigation raised serious questions about how Now Australia was being run.

“I don’t have criticisms of Now and Tracey Spicer, I don’t know enough about their work,” Burke says. But she says movements cannot work with one person “who is making all the change alone”.

“Movements only happen with a collective of people,” Burke says. “But the way the world is now, there’s always this elevation of the charismatic, individual leader. And that person is supposed to have all the answers and make all the great classic speeches and motivate all the people. And you know, I’m perfectly willing to do my my best to keep people motivated to fight, but those people also have to be invested in this issue. They have to want to create change.

“And that also means diversity, right? Because if you don’t have a diverse and inclusive container to hold a movement, then people won’t see themselves in it, or they won’t feel invested in the work.”

Keeping empathy at the surface
Burke believes in empowering others to speak, in elevating other women to lead. But she admits that it is hard to escape the pressures that come with being a prominent figure in a movement, no matter how hard she tries to highlight the work of others. Women frequently disclose their experiences of sexual violence to her, and their stories are often distressing and horrific.

It was easier to put boundaries in place to protect herself from burnout when she was just a youth worker, Burke admits. She finds them more difficult to enforce now she is a household name worldwide. Her empathy is always at the surface.

“I feel like when you put yourself out there, if you allow yourself to be put out into public against the world and a representative of this thing, you have to walk in that responsibility as much as possible,” Burke says.

“So I imagine these people watch the tapes of me talking, they’ve seen the articles where I speak about these issues which they may not have heard many people speaking about before. And then imagine they meet me in person and I’m like, ‘I can’t talk to you’.

“I’m just always imagining who is going to be crushed by that. Now I’m not a therapist and I don’t have the capacity for that, but to the extent that I can extend myself to some degree to people and see the folks just want to be acknowledged, I do feel a strong sense of duty.

“Most folks just want to be seen, and to be seen in a real and true way.”

Tarana Burke is in Australia to receive the 2019 Sydney Peace prize on behalf of the #MeToo movement. The prize will be awarded at the City of Sydney peace prize lecture on 14 November, and Tarana Burke will be speaking at the National Press Club on 13 November and the Collingwood Town Hall in Melbourne on 18 November.

This article was written by Melissa Davey and first appeared in The Guardian Australia.

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#MeToo founder says Australia’s defamation laws silence victims

Sydney Peace Foundation — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 02:13:08 +0000

The founder of the #MeToo movement says Australia’s defamation laws work to silence victims of sexual violence and misconduct, and she “absolutely” believes allegations of sexual assault made against President Donald Trump and US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanagh.

Tarana Burke also says men who feel victimised by the movement need to empathise with women rather than complaining of the harm done to them.

“We got to the point where the world knows the phrase ‘Me Too’ because of the numbers of people who used the hashtag and shared their stories … but you don’t hear a lot about young black girls or Indigenous girls, or boys or children or disabled. To be honest, we don’t hear a lot about rich white women either,” Ms Burke says.

“We hear a lot about the accused and how their lives are being affected and how they’re doing, rather than the people who have experienced it.”

Ms Burke, who will travel to Sydney next month to receive the City of Sydney Peace Prize, is an African-American civil rights activist from the Bronx in New York.

She originally used the term “me too” in the mid-2000s when working with disadvantaged girls. So many of them had experienced sexual violence that she felt compelled to let them know they belonged to a community of survivors which included her.

In 2017, actress Alyssa Milano used the hashtag on social media amid the media firestorm over film producer Harvey Weinstein and it became a global movement that has led to countless disclosures of sexual assault and harassment.

There has been criticism of #MeToo’s reliance on celebrities, but Ms Burke is pragmatic.

“I have done this work a long time and before this movement there was never space for this to be a large national conversation,” she said. “Without the attention celebrities provided I don’t know we would be here.”

Ms Burke said we need to move away from the “crime and punishment” model which portrays transgressions in black and white terms, to a model of “harm and harm reduction”.

“It doesn’t mean a man should lose his job or be publicly shamed,” she said. “But it does mean he has to answer for the harm he has done to that person. The issue is not talking about it, the issue is we need a system of accountability that happens on a spectrum.”

It is a “gross exaggeration” to say the movement has tarnished men, she said.

“What is the alternative, when women are made to feel uncomfortable or men behave in ways that are improper? To stay silent and deal with it?”

Ms Burke has followed various Australian defamation cases involving plaintiffs who have successfully sued following publication of a private disclosure of alleged sexual harassment.

“The way the laws are set up in countries like Australia do lead to women staying silent,” she said.

Asked if she believes the 26-odd allegations of sexual assault and harassment made against President Trump, Burke said: “Hmmm I believe it. He himself has admitted sexual predation.”

She also believes the allegation of sexual assault made against Judge Kavanaugh, even though it didn’t prevent his confirmation.

“People try to frame it as a loss for the Me Too movement, but it is just underscoring the need for the Me Too movement,” Ms Burke said.

She shares the Sydney Peace Prize with Australian journalist Tracey Spicer.

This article was written by Jacqueline Maley and first appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald.

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The way forward for Me Too, according to founder Tarana Burke

Sydney Peace Foundation — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 22:00:24 +0000

It’s been two years since #MeToo became part of the zeitgeist. There have been many stories, personal and in the media, that have motivated the public to confront workplace dynamics between men and women, consent, and the nature of sex itself. While these often-devastating narratives from survivors can inspire us into action or paralyze our senses, there is still much more work to be done.

Founder Tarana Burke remains determined to progress the movement. She speaks at colleges and universities across the country and is preparing the next generation of survivors to do the transformational work of healing.

Although Burke started the “Me Too” movement in 2006 to address rampant sexual violence, her advocacy work began when she part of youth leadership camps and sister circles as a teen; by her early twenties, she was leading her own. In her words, these healing circles were “a place to celebrate your joy and triumph” with other people who recognized that these stages are hard to reach. The catharsis comes not only from sharing one’s story of abuse, she said, but also what survival can look like after the trauma.

Over the years, she’s learned how to assess or reassess what healing looks like and the dangers of conversations that posit abusers at extreme polarities. There are different levels of severity when it comes to harm done, she says, and therefore we have to be mindful, sensitive, and adjust our judgment accordingly.

Burke talked to Vox over the phone about her humble beginnings, Me Too’s prominence and pitfalls, 2020 politics, and more. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Morgan Jerkins

I remember reading a profile of you in The Cut a year ago and you were talking about the archetypal story of an abuser. And I have talked about this with friends and others: It feels like when there’s a man who is outed as an abuser that they are immediately compared to Weinstein. “They’re not as bad as Weinstein” — as if, you know, because of that we can breathe a little easier. What is the danger of this framing of an archetypal story of Harvey Weinstein, for example, as “the most monstrous abuser there ever was”?

Tarana Burke

I’m grateful you asked this question because this is super dangerous, right? So I’ll give you an example. When the controversy happened around Joe Biden and it came up about him making Lucy Flores uncomfortable, she never called him a predator. She never even used the word “MeToo.” She talked about the situation and described how uncomfortable and powerless it made her. I felt it was important to support her and her coming out and her ability to say that.

But the backlash I got was that I was making a big deal out of it and Biden’s a good guy — “He’s no Harvey Weinstein.” My response to that was, first of all, I don’t dislike Joe Biden. I appreciate some of the things that he’s done over time to support women’s causes like sexual assault on college campuses and the Violence Against Women Act. Outside of Anita Hill, I think he’s been a quintessential good guy around these issues, right? My argument about that archetype is that if we go from zero to Harvey Weinstein — if someone like Joe Biden, who is by all intents and purposes a “good guy” — if I can’t tell the guy who talks about sexual harassment, the statistics on sexual violence, and who fights for women’s rights, that I’m uncomfortable with his behavior, how am I supposed to fight a Harvey Weinstein? You don’t have to be a Harvey Weinstein in order to make someone uncomfortable and wield your power in ways that make one feel powerless.

That archetype is dangerous because it creates this dynamic of a boogeyman — that sexual violence is created by a “bad guy” or a “bad apple” and that the everyday average Joe who makes you feel uncomfortable is above reproach. These polarizing dynamics don’t create the space for someone to be like, “Listen, I know that you mean well but I don’t like when you touch me like that.”

Morgan Jerkins

You also mentioned that you never wanted the Me Too conversation to be a take-down. I thought that that was surprising because I feel like, with me, being a millennial and someone who’s on the internet an awful lot, when someone is outed as an alleged abuser, the next thing is to want to take this person down. I’m afraid to even ask what restorative justice looks like.

Tarana Burke

This, again, is about the hyper-polars, right? Sexual violence happens on a spectrum — everything from someone making you uncomfortable to an environment is unworkable or unlivable to actual physical violence — because that is the truth, then accountability has to happen on a spectrum. We have a long way to go before we have a clear-cut, straightforward response to what restorative justice looks like, but we won’t ever get there if we declare that every time someone gets called out for their actions it’s a “witch hunt.” And, we also won’t get there if the standard is regardless of what they do, we get rid of them.

Morgan Jerkins

In your TED Talk, you talked about how sexual violence often happens when people believe that bodily autonomy is not a basic human right. I thought about that in the context of black girls and women — we have a legacy in this country and abroad where it wasn’t a basic human right for us. And so I think that there are many of us who are still grappling with that and that trauma should never be normalized. Meanwhile, in the media, so much of Me Too is tied to white women. What do you think is missing?

Tarana Burke

I’m going to take my time with this. On the one hand, I think that the lack of representation of black women and women of color or any marginalized group in the media since Me Too has gone viral has been clear and gross. It’s been very difficult to have our stories told. But nothing about that surprises me. This is the reality that black women and girls have been living with our whole lives. It’s a dual argument. We have to be vigilant that we are represented in these conversations and stories in mainstream media, whatever that looks like.

But I also don’t want us to get caught up in white folks validating our pain in their media. Like, for example, there was a huge push for us to talk about R. Kelly, and rightfully so. But some of those same folks who yell and scream about R. Kelly are still going to call black girls “fast” and ignore issues in our community. We cannot sacrifice the work that has to be done in our community to stop sexual violence for the sake of some representation so that white folks can be like, “You know what? Black people also suffer from this.” They know. They’ve never prioritized our trauma unless it was to their benefit. And so while we have to make sure that we keep that chorus going with, “Don’t forget about us,” we have to also make sure in tandem that we are being just as serious about the work that has to happen in our communities.

Morgan Jerkins

You said you’re going to start doing your healing circles again in 2020. Are there any components that you’re going to tinker with or add, given Me Too and its prominence?

Tarana Burke

That’s what we’re actually working through now. What does it look like to scale up something that’s so deeply personal? We’re working with a team of professional therapists and social workers and folks who do this. My main concern is being able to vet the people who come to the training to make sure that they are not causing any harm or retraumatizing people. When I was doing healing circles in the community, I was leading them myself. But now, obviously, I can’t do that around the country.

I also look at our healing circles as recruitment ground where survivors can move into our survivor leadership training. Another part of their healing can be doing the work of fighting against sexual violence. Those two things are tied together in our programming. That’s not necessarily new, but it’s certainly a bigger part of how we’re approaching the work now.

Morgan Jerkins

Besides the healing circles, what else do you have on your plate?

Tarana Burke

One of the things that we’re building is a digital platform. In 2020, we’ll debut that. Since I’ve been doing the work, it’s been a goal of mine to create a space where all different kinds of survivors can find themselves. By that, I mean race, ethnicity, and religion, but also by whatever stage of healing that you’re in. A lot of what’s offered in public service to survivors is for immediate health crisis intervention. We want to help survivors wherever they are in their healing journey.

But we also want to push people into action. Part of the work of the digital platform is a tool to be active in the movement. We’re also excited about the election. We’re waiting on a candidate to tackle what has been one of the largest news stories in the last decade. Nineteen million people tweeted about Me Too in the first year after it went viral.

We are looking at something that in any other field would be classified as a public health crisis and yet we haven’t had a question even asked in any of the debates about this topic. We are interested in where sexual violence falls in the spectrum of things that candidates are prioritizing.

Morgan Jerkins is the senior editor at ZORA and the author of This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America.

Miranda Barnes is a Caribbean American photographer. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

This article was written by Morgan Jerkins and first appeared in Vox.

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Honouring the Me Too movement with the 2019 Sydney Peace Prize

Sydney Peace Foundation — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 02:38:54 +0000

Starting with two words, ‘me too’, women around the world have united in solidarity to share personal experiences about sexual harassment. This global call for change – the Me Too movement – has played a game-changing role in destigmatising the experiences of survivors of sexual assault and harassment, and, indeed, has re-imagined a future free from pervasive sexual violence. In recognition of its impact, the movement will be awarded the 2019 Sydney Peace Prize, with Tarana Burke and Tracey Spicer accepting the Prize on behalf of Me Too. The 2019 Sydney Peace Prize Jury citation reads:

“For empowering survivors of sexual harassment and violence, and elevating their voices; for championing truth and justice; for highlighting the breadth and impact of sexual violence worldwide; and for launching a demand for change that is sweeping the world.”

Founder Tarana Burke began building the movement in 2006 in the United States to support survivors of sexual violence, particularly black women and girls, connect to resources for healing, and to build a survivor-led community of advocates against sexual assault. Her grassroots work has now expanded to reach a global community of survivors from all walks of life.

Me Too is a movement about the far-reaching power of empathy. It’s about the millions of people who have raised their hands to say ‘me too’. And their hands are still raised..

Tracey Spicer AM is a journalist, author and broadcaster who has spearheaded the Me Too movement in Australia. She has produced award-winning investigations into sexual harassment in workplaces and founded NOW Australia in 2018 to advocate for safe workplaces and to support those who have been sexually harassed at work.

A demand for change sweeping the world

Contrary to popular belief, the Me Too movement did not spontaneously burst into existence, spurred by allegations from Hollywood actresses against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. While much of the mainstream media coverage of Me Too has centred around the entertainment industry and the downfall of powerful perpetrators, Tarana Burke is quick to bring the focus back to where it belongs – to the survivors.

“Me Too is a movement about the far-reaching power of empathy. It’s about the millions of people who have raised their hands to say ‘me too’. And their hands are still raised.”

In recounting the first sparks of Me Too, Tarana recalled her deep despair at witnessing rampant sexual assault in her community. Laying on the bed in her one-bedroom apartment in early 2006, Tarana pulled out a piece of paper and scrawled ‘me too’ across the top of the paper. But she didn’t stop there. Below ‘me too’, she began to build an action plan for a movement based on empathy between survivors that would allow the healing of deep wounds. From the idea of empowerment through empathy, Tarana built Just Be Inc., a not-for-profit and network with a mission to support and amplify the voices of survivors of sexual abuse, assault, and exploitation.

On our own shores, Australian broadcaster, journalist and author Tracey Spicer has been spearheading the Me Too movement, speaking out about prevalent sexual abuse and harassment in the workplace and seeking to build a support network for survivors. The spark which truly ignited the Me Too movement in Australia was a tweet from Tracey in 2017 to her 57,000 followings asking people to “contact me privately to tell your stories.” The tweet received more than 2,000 responses and propelled Me Too into the Australian public conscious and discourse. Following a flood of responses and harrowing stories from survivors, Tracey set up NOW Australia to support people across all industries who have been sexually harassed, assaulted or intimidated at work.

Commending Tarana for starting the movement, Tracey spoke of her optimism for a better future. “The Me Too movement has changed everything, it gives women a support base and information with which they can speak out and tell their stories.”

In our own backyard

The Me Too movement has kickstarted an outpouring of individual and collective voices shining a spotlight on the universal experience of women and some men with sexual harassment and abuse. And Australian society is unfortunately no exception. Statistics show that 1 in 5 Australian women will experience sexual violence in her lifetime, and that 1 in 2 will be subjected to sexual harassment. And these statistics only become more severe for indigenous women and women living with a disability. It is clear that we continue to have a very serious problem with attitudes towards domestic violence, consent, sexual abuse, and harassment.

The Me Too movement has revealed holes in our cultural norms and legal structures which must be addressed to better serve our communities and promote progress. Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins announced in 2018 an Australian Human Rights Commission-led National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. ‘Me Too has given us reason to be hopeful,’ says Jenkins.

Julian Burnside AO QC, 2014 Sydney Peace Prize Laureate, strongly supported Jury’s choice:

“It is a wonderful thing that Me Too is to be awarded the Sydn ey Ppppeace P“It is a wonderful thing that Me Too is to be awarded the Sydney Peace Prize…The Me Too movement has done a remarkable job drawing attention to a problem which was recognised by virtually all women and virtually no men. Since men are at the heart of the problem, it is a great thing that no man will now be believed if they say they are unaware of the problem Me Too has exposed.”

2019 Sydney Peace Prize

Without justice, peace is hollow and fragile. Every human being has the right to live their life in dignity, and when rampant sexual harassment and violence goes unchecked, we are all diminished and lose sight of our common humanity.

Me Too has changed the way we understand and talk about sexual harassment and violence, by highlighting the magnitude and impact of sexual harassment and violence around the world, in domestic, public spaces, and workplaces.

We owe future generations a world free of sexual violence. I believe we can build that world. Do you?”

To create spaces where survivors can speak truth to power in search of a better world requires courage, vision, leadership, and heart. Tarana, Tracey, and the many women and men raising their hands in unison to demand that their voices be heard challenge the societal structures and norms we have thus far accepted.

In Tarana’s words, “We owe future generations a world free of sexual violence. I believe we can build that world. Do you?”

The Sydney Peace Prize will be awarded on Thursday 14 November at Sydney Town Hall. Tickets available at bit.ly/SPPMeToo

This article was written by Katie Gabriel and first appeared in the SSPS Review on 25 June 2019.

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#MeToo movement leaders win Sydney Peace Prize

Sydney Peace Foundation — Mon, 13 May 2019 23:42:21 +0000

#MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke and advocate of the Australian anti-harassment drive Tracey Spicer have been awarded the Sydney Peace Prize.

Founder of the global #MeToo movement Tarana Burke and one of the leading faces of the Australian movement, Tracey Spicer, have been jointly awarded the Sydney Peace Prize for their revolutionary work in the #MeToo movement.

The two activists have received the award for their work in revealing and protesting against sexual harassment, particularly the widespread 2017 investigations into sexual harassment in the media industry.

Ms Burke started the movement in 2006 when she developed a grassroots network to help survivors of sexual assault, particularly black women and girls.

The movement aimed to connect sexual assault survivors to resources for healing and to advocate against sexual violence.

Ms Burke said that receiving the peace prize highlights the prevalence of sexual violence and strengthens belief that the issue can be eradicated.

The #MeToo movement will continue this work until we shift the culture to one that believes that every person, no matter their identity or circumstance, has the right to consent and safety.

Ms Spicer greatly contributed to revealing sexual harassment in the Australian media industry, through work investigating multiple allegations of sexual harassment and bullying by Australian TV personality Don Burke.

Ms Spicer expressed her “tremendous honour” in accepting the Sydney Peace Prize alongside Ms Burke.

“This movement shows that solidarity is the key to creating lasting change,” Ms Spicer said. “It’s time for Government, business and the community to help those who need it most.”

“I dedicate this prize to everyone who is a survivor of sexual violence: your voices are being heard.”

Ms Spicer has been listening to the stories of thousands of sexual harassment and violence survivors over the past 18 months.

“It’s humbling to be entrusted with their stories, especially when being shared for the first time,” Ms Spicer told Guardian Australia.

Sexual harassment is not only about sex; it’s predominantly about power … the recounting of these stories, and the work undertaken to support the survivors, takes an enormous toll on everyone.

Ms Spicer also created Now Australia in 2018 to support survivors who have been sexually harassed, and to support the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment being led by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Since 2017, the #MeToo movement has become global after the hashtag went viral through its link to the allegations of sexual harassment and violence against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

The allegations promoted a much bigger discourse revealing widespread sexual harassment and assault against women in a variety of industries.

The Sydney Peace Foundation Chair, Archie Law, told SBS that the recipients were chosen for this award because of the movement’s ability to demonstrate how prominent the issue of sexual abuse and harassment is.

“(The award) was for #MeToo’s ability to support women through assistance, but also to stand up, raise their voices and disrupt the patterns of abuse and harassment that happen,” Mr Law said.

“It has also, I hope, caused a lot of men to reflect upon their actions and how they treat women, and understand what constitutes good and bad behaviour”.

The 2019 Sydney Peace Prize Jury’s citation praised the #MeToo movement for “empowering survivors of sexual harassment and violence … and for launching a demand for change that is sweeping the world”.

The two recipients will receive the award on 14 November at Sydney Town Hall where they will deliver the 2019 Sydney Peace Prize lecture.

Previous laureates of the Sydney Peace Prize include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson, Noam Chomsky, Patrick Dodson, Naomi Klein and the Black Lives Matter Global Network.

This article was written by Catriona Stirrat and first appeared in the SBS News on 1 May, 2019. Tickets for the November events in Sydney are available via bit.ly/SPPMeToo

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#MeToo Movement wins 2019 Sydney Peace Prize

Sydney Peace Foundation — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 23:25:29 +0000

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins has announced the MeToo Movement as the winner of the 2019 Sydney Peace Prize.

Ms Jenkins said the global movement, which has had local and international impact in its call to action on sexual assault and sexual harassment, was an incredibly deserving winner of the Peace Prize.

The calling of the world-first National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian workplaces, currently underway at the Australian Human Rights Commission is just one of the many initiatives prompted by MeToo.

“In my role as Sex Discrimination Commissioner, I am acutely aware of the statistics and stories of violence against women, at home, at work, on the streets and online,” Ms Jenkins said.

The MeToo Movement has been critical for our whole community to hear those stories and better understand the scale and impact of violence against women.

“The peaceful act of sharing stories of abuse and harassment and showing empathy for others who have experience this conduct, has created a monumental shift in action, moving mindsets from doubting the problem to focusing efforts on eliminating it.”

The Sydney Peace Prize will be formally accepted by Tarana Burke, the founder of the movement, and Tracey Spicer, journalist and advocate for addressing sexual harassment in Australia, in a ceremony at Sydney’s Town Hall in November.

“Recognising the importance of the MeToo Movement through this Prize will contribute to the continued momentum toward change,” Ms Jenkins said.

This article was written by Kate Jenkins and first appeared on the Australian Human Rights Commission’s website on 1 May, 2019. Tickets for the November events in Sydney are available via bit.ly/SPPMeToo

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Tarana Burke and Tracey Spicer win Sydney Peace prize for #MeToo work

Sydney Peace Foundation — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 23:19:29 +0000

Tarana Burke, the US-based founder of the #MeToo movement, has been awarded the annual prize alongside Spicer, who helped spearhead award-winning investigations into sexual harassment in media workplaces in Australia.

The author and broadcaster was part of a Walkley award-winning team behind the explosive investigation into multiple allegations of sexual harassment and bullying by Australian TV personality Don Burke.

Spicer also created Now Australia in 2018 to support survivors who have been sexually harassed and to advocate for safe workplaces. But she has since stepped back from the organisation.

Spicer said over the past 18 months it had been a great privilege to bear witness to the stories of thousands of sexual harassment and violence survivors.

“It’s humbling to be entrusted with their stories, especially when being shared for the first time,” she told Guardian Australia.

Sexual harassment is not only about sex; it’s predominantly about power … the recounting of these stories, and the work undertaken to support the survivors, takes an enormous toll on everyone.

Tracey Spicer, the joint winner of the 2019 Sydney Peace prize, is calling for an incoming federal government to overhaul Australian defamation laws to ensure sexual harassment survivors are not condemned to silence.

Spicer said the work had taken a huge emotional toll. “I know that there are many for whom it is a heavier burden. I’m fortunate to have the love and support of wonderful family and friends, and those working in the sector, to get me through each day,” she said.

Asked about the impact Geoffrey Rush’s successful defamation suit against News Corp had had on the #MeToo movement, Spicer said she had a policy of not commenting on individual cases unless she had been on the investigative team involved.

She said she believes defamation law reform should be on the agenda whichever major party wins the 18 May federal election.

“These laws act to protect the wealthy and powerful,” Spicer said. “We need defamation laws more along the lines of those in New Zealand and Canada.”

The Sydney Peace Foundation chair, Archie Law, said the #MeToo movementwas chosen from more than 200 community nominations because it had fundamentally changed the way society understands and talks about sexual harassment and violence.

Previous winners of the Sydney Peace prize include archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Irish president Mary Robinson, author Noam Chomsky, the father of Indigenous reconciliation Patrick Dodson, writer Naomi Klein and the Black Lives Matter global network.

This article was written by Lisa Martin and first appeared in the The Guardian Australia on 1 May. Tickets for the November events in Sydney are available via bit.ly/SPPMeToo

The post Tarana Burke and Tracey Spicer win Sydney Peace prize for #MeToo work appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

Sydney Peace Prize Awarded to the #MeToo Movement

Sydney Peace Foundation — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 21:59:20 +0000

The founder of the #MeToo movement, New York-based activist Tarana Burke, has been awarded this year’s Sydney Peace Prize in conjunction with Australian journalist Tracey Spicer.

The two recipients will receive the prize on behalf of the #MeToo movement on November 14 at Sydney Town Hall where they will deliver the 2019 Sydney Peace Prize lecture.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 12: Activist Tarana Burke speaks at the #MeToo Survivors March & Rally on November 12, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/FilmMagic)

The sometimes controversial prize, bestowed by the Sydney Peace Foundation at the University of Sydney, has been awarded in the past to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson, Noam Chomsky, Patrick Dodson, Naomi Klein, and the Black Lives Matter Global Network.

The 2019 Sydney Peace Prize Jury’s citation recognises the #MeToo movement for ”empowering survivors of sexual harassment and violence, and elevating their voices; for championing truth and justice; for highlighting the breadth and impact of sexual violence worldwide; and for launching a demand for change that is sweeping the world”.

Ms Burke began building the movement in 2006 to support survivors of sexual violence, while Ms Spicer collaborated with the Herald and the ABC on a series of investigations into harassment of women in the Australian media and created NOW Australia in 2018 to support those who have been sexually harassed in their workplace.

The #MeToo movement shot to global prominence when celebrities started using its name as a social media hashtag in support of women who had come forward to level allegations of sexual harassment and assault against the Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. In the following months similar allegations were made against a slew of powerful media and entertainment figures who had used their stature over the years to silence their victims.

They included NBC anchor Matt Lauer, Fox News chief executive Roger Ailes and its star host Bill O’Reilly. It spread around the world, with Spicer working on an investigation into the behaviour of television gardener Don Burke.

Ms Burke said awards such as the Sydney Peace Prize were crucial in helping to explain the importance of the movement beyond high profile individuals and industries.

She said the experience of sexual violence was isolating for its victims and that the strength of the #MeToo movement was that it provided those victims not only with a voice but with a community and with reassurance that they did not share the blame for the sexual violence with the perpetrators of it.

She noted that workplace sexual violence existed on a spectrum and that while it always caused harm it did not always meet the standard of criminal behaviour.

Its common thread was that it involved an abuse of power.

“Culture has not yet shifted away from that yet. And it will not unless it is pushed. No one gives up power without a fight,” she said.

She said the #MeToo movement had at times been both misunderstood and misrepresented, using as an example the backlash after it was suggested that #MeToo was fighting to have the Christmas song Baby, It’s Cold Outside banned.

“Do you really think that with all the work we still have to do [as a movement] we care about Christmas songs? Do you think we have time for that?”

Ms Burke said that in Australia she was particularly keen to learn more about the experiences of men and women of colour, as those less power in societies were particularly vulnerable to abuses of power, and she was keen to learn more about how the movement was faring in a society without America’s constitutional protection of freedom of speech.

This article was written by Chris O’Malley and first appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on 1 May. Tickets for the November events in Sydney are available via bit.ly/SPPMeToo

The post Sydney Peace Prize Awarded to the #MeToo Movement appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

2019 The Me Too movement Archives - Sydney Peace Foundation

Podcast: TARANA BURKE ON ME TOO & BUILDING A MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE

This interview was conducted by Clare Press and first appeared on Wardrobe Crisis.

‘A phenomenal leap’: Tarana Burke on #MeToo’s success so far and next steps

This article was written by Melissa Davey and first appeared in The Guardian Australia.

#MeToo founder says Australia’s defamation laws silence victims

This article was written by Jacqueline Maley and first appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald.

The way forward for Me Too, according to founder Tarana Burke

Morgan Jerkins

Tarana Burke

Morgan Jerkins

Tarana Burke

Morgan Jerkins

Tarana Burke

Morgan Jerkins

Tarana Burke

Morgan Jerkins

Tarana Burke

This article was written by Morgan Jerkins and first appeared in Vox.

Honouring the Me Too movement with the 2019 Sydney Peace Prize

Me Too is a movement about the far-reaching power of empathy. It’s about the millions of people who have raised their hands to say ‘me too’. And their hands are still raised..

We owe future generations a world free of sexual violence. I believe we can build that world. Do you?”

This article was written by Katie Gabriel and first appeared in the SSPS Review on 25 June 2019.

#MeToo movement leaders win Sydney Peace Prize

The #MeToo movement will continue this work until we shift the culture to one that believes that every person, no matter their identity or circumstance, has the right to consent and safety.

Sexual harassment is not only about sex; it’s predominantly about power … the recounting of these stories, and the work undertaken to support the survivors, takes an enormous toll on everyone.

This article was written by Catriona Stirrat and first appeared in the SBS News on 1 May, 2019. Tickets for the November events in Sydney are available via bit.ly/SPPMeToo

#MeToo Movement wins 2019 Sydney Peace Prize

The MeToo Movement has been critical for our whole community to hear those stories and better understand the scale and impact of violence against women.

This article was written by Kate Jenkins and first appeared on the Australian Human Rights Commission’s website on 1 May, 2019. Tickets for the November events in Sydney are available via bit.ly/SPPMeToo

Tarana Burke and Tracey Spicer win Sydney Peace prize for #MeToo work

Sexual harassment is not only about sex; it’s predominantly about power … the recounting of these stories, and the work undertaken to support the survivors, takes an enormous toll on everyone.

This article was written by Lisa Martin and first appeared in the The Guardian Australia on 1 May. Tickets for the November events in Sydney are available via bit.ly/SPPMeToo

Sydney Peace Prize Awarded to the #MeToo Movement

This article was written by Chris O’Malley and first appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on 1 May. Tickets for the November events in Sydney are available via bit.ly/SPPMeToo