Anita Hill and Aly Raisman took the stage at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards on Monday night to share their #MeToo stories.
Along with Ann Cardenas and model Cameron Russell, these accounts came from all different walks of life and reminded us that all it takes is one woman standing up to tell her story to make a difference.
“In 1991, I testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Clarence Thomas, who had repeatedly harassed me when he was my boss, was unsuitable to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Hill. “The outcome of my testimony was not what I’d hoped, but in no way was it the final word. In the five years after I testified, sexual harassment complaints filed with the EEOC more than doubled. Legislation against harassment slowly but surely began to pass. And I saw that we had a chance to shift this narrative.”
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Raisman also shared her powerful story: “Most people know me as a gymnast. But I am also a survivor. I am among a huge number of young gymnasts abused by U.S. Olympic and USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. This man held a position of influence and power in the sport for over 20 years. And the extent of the harm he caused is beyond comprehension. More than 130 young women have filed lawsuits alleging abuse by Nassar, and we may never know how many others may be suffering in silence. I stand here for all of them.”
“We need to say this out loud,” Hill said. “Women are entitled to work, and girls are entitled to go to school and compete like Aly does in places free of sexual harassment.”
At the end of the segment, Raisman invited anyone who had been sexually assaulted, abused, or harassed to stand if they wanted to. When Cardenas also invited anyone who had seen someone in their lives go through it, not one person was seated.