By Jason Kwan

Staff Writer

On Jan. 1, over 300 female actresses, directors and writers from the entertainment industry launched the Time’s Up campaign in response to the Weinstein effect and the twitter movement, #MeToo advocating against sexual assault and harassment.

Reese Witherspoon and fellow stars such as Allison Janney, Eva Longoria, Natalie Portman, Shonda Rhimes and Emma Stone all came together and created the campaign hoping to make a difference. Their mission is to spread awareness about sexual misconduct and address the systemic inequality and injustice that women face in the workplace.

The 2018 Golden Globes served as a platform for the initiative to help spread their message. Many people from the entertainment industry stood united with victims by dressing up in all black attire and wearing pins that showed their support for the movement.

When Witherspoon received an award during the ceremony, she took the opportunity to speak out about the campaign, thanking the men and women who bravely spoke up.

“People out there who are feeling silenced by harassment, discrimination, abuse. Time is up, we see you, we hear you, and we will tell your stories.”
Several celebrities could not attend the event, but still voiced their support by wearing all black and used social media to take part in the movement as well. Their participation showed that this unified call was not just limited to the red carpet.

In addition to spreading awareness, the initiative also includes a legal defense fund that will help women facing sexual harassment at work find legal representation. In just 29 days, nearly 18,000 people have banded together to raise over $18 million- making it the most successful initiative ever on GoFundMe.

From actresses to companies, multiple celebrities and organizations have pitched in to donate to the cause. According to Us Weekly, Jennifer Aniston and Rhimes have each donated $500,000, while director Steven Spielberg has donated $2 million.

Actor Mark Wahlberg announced that he will donate the $1.5 million he received from reshooting scenes from the movie, “All the Money in the World,” because his co-star, Michelle Williams made less than $1,000 for the reshoots.

“I 100 percent support the fight for fair pay and I’m donating the $1.5 million to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle William’s name,” Wahlberg stated to USA Today.

The company Condé Nast announced that some of the black dresses and suits worn by the celebrities during the Golden Globes will be auctioned off to raise money for the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund as well. The outfits were donated by the designers of the outfits and those auctioned off include those worn by Penelope Cruz, Neil Patrick Harris, Watson, and Witherspoon.

All funds donated to the proceed will be housed and managed by the National Women’s Law Center. The National Women’s Law Center will also be working in accordance with the Legal Network for Gender Equity to provide help to anyone who has experienced sexual harassment in the workplace and wishes to retaliate.