“No more silence. No more waiting. No more tolerance for discrimination, harassment or abuse. Time's up.”

While the #MeToo movement proved to countless women that they are not alone in their experiences with sexual harassment, it still relied on women to out themselves as victims, focusing in on them and not the people who are responsible for it in the first place.

#MeToo was a viral campaign in October of 2017 created to denounce sexual assault and harassment in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against film producer and executive Harvey Weinstein.

#MeToo got us started, and we ain’t stopping now.

At the beginning of this year, several powerful women of Hollywood, including Shonda Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Anniston, and countless others have come together to launch the TIME’S UP initiative, which is being described as an ambitious movement to end workplace harassment, and the next step in the #MeToo movement.

Sexual harassment in the workplace is a problem. It has always been a problem, but a shift in the conversation has led us to an open discussion. 1 in 3 women aged 18-34 have been sexually harassed at work, 71% of which did not report it. The frequent account of workplace sexual harassment is reported as an effect of an imbalanced workplace environment, as only 1 in 10 women are senior leaders in companies. There is a severe imbalance in power which TIME'S UP recognizes, and aims to remedy.

In their mission statement, TIME'S UP describes this initiative as “a unified call for change from women in entertainment for women everywhere. From movie sets to farm fields to boardrooms alike, we envision nationwide leadership that reflects the world in which we live.”

TIME'S UP addresses the “systemic inequality and injustice” that exists in the workplace that is keeping women and other minority groups from reaching their potential within a company. The mission is to improve laws, employment agreements, and corporate policies.

The TIME’S UP Initiative includes:

• A $13 million legal defense fund to help women in blue-collar jobs and farm work
• Drafting of legislation to punish companies that tolerate sexual harassment and to discourage non-disclosure agreements in such cases.
• A push to reach gender parity in Hollywood studios and talent agencies; and a call for women walking the red carpet at the Golden Globes to wear black as a sign of protest and solidarity.

This fund will provide individuals with the resources and support to come forward, which includes a connection with lawyers to aid in the course of legal action.

Tina Tchen, one of the attorneys behind the TIME'S UP legal defense fund.

However, sexual harassment is a multi-faceted beast, and to bring it down it must be attacked from multiple angles, and that is exactly the mission of this movement. 50/50 by 2020 is a leg of this initiative created by award-winning show-runner and writer, Shonda Rhimes. 50/50 by 2020 aims to achieve 50/50 representation in Hollywood by the year 2020.

“Where’s there’s equity, there’s less harassment and abuse.”
-Shonda Rhimes

While this initiative was spearheaded by powerful celebrities, the support does not have to stop there. The TIME'S UP website provides a detailed list of actions you can take to support this movement as well as everyone affected by it.

It does not matter who you are; if you’re not a part of the solution, you are part of the problem. As harsh as this statement may sound, it holds truth. If you see something, say something. If you can stop something, do it. If you can’t, just listen. Don’t be an apologist for an abuser.

It’s 2018, and we are done apologizing.