Several Hollywood actresses wore black outfits for the 75th Annual Golden Globe awards on Sunday, January 7th. Prominent stars, like Shayleen Woodley, who've portrayed sexually assaulted women in movies are now standing in solidarity with those who've spoken out about the abuse they silently suffered through.
These men, believing they can get away with raping women, come from all parts of our culture. They are our president, senators, and our favorite television show/movie actors. The women speaking out about these crimes against men, like Kevin Spacey, Bill Cosby, Donald Trump, Roy Moore and so many others, felt like they had to keep quiet for years, but no more.
It's gratifying to finally see people uniting against abhorrent acts that have gone without reprimand in America for far too long. Society has forced these victims to relive these traumas by watching their abusers continue their daily lives unscathed by the pain they've inflicted.
Today, we demand justice. We are no longer asking for accountability from those who have, and are still, using their power to rape women and make unwanted advances.
We're demanding it.
Not only for the victims who are still alive today but for those who weren't able to see justice in their lifetime. Women like Recy Taylor, who was mentioned during Oprah's Golden Globes speech.
Recy Taylor was 24 years old when she was kidnapped and raped by not one, but six white men after walking home from church in Alabama. She lived until the age of 97 knowing that the men who raped her were able to walk away, even though one had confessed to the crime.
Not once have I ever heard her name and that's a crime of its own. Justice shouldn't stop after someone's life has ended, it should persevere until those who committed the crime are held accountable.
"For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up," said Oprah Winfrey.
To the men who raped women during the Jim Crow era, we are coming for you.
To the husbands who have beaten their wives, we are coming for you.
To the men using their power to abuse women, we are coming for you too.