These movements aren't about anger. We're not angrily saying 'Black Lives Matter.' We're declaring it. It's a declaration. We want to be seen as robust, full human beings that have anger and have joy. We want to be able to just freely have that joy. Like everybody else does.
People need hope and inspiration desperately. But hope and inspiration are only sustained by work.
There are so many different people doing amazing work across the country that I, in my capacity, definitely want to lift up, because they don't get lifted up that often.
There are a number of people who are anxious to leave #metoo behind and move on, but I don't think people realize how short of a time we have been discussing this issue compared to how long this has been an issue.
Donald Trump has proven to be the kind of person who you can't reason with and who you can't have a logical conversation with - and who I can't imagine having a heart-to-heart conversation thinking that I would change something specifically about this person.
Violence is violence. Trauma is trauma. And we are taught to downplay it, even think about it as child's play.
When you truly empathize with someone, you have to take into account all the things that make that person who they are.
We use a term called 'empowerment through empathy.' And 'Me Too' is so powerful, because somebody had said it to me - right? - and it changed the trajectory of my healing process once I heard that.
'Me Too' is about letting - using the power of empathy to stomp out shame.
There's a power in empathy.
An exchange of empathy provides an entry point for a lot of people to see what healing feels like.
'Me too' became a term that was both succinct and powerful, and it was a way to ring up immediate empathy between survivors.
I want the women I work with to find the entry point to where their healing is.
When the #MeToo movement started and went viral, it was everyday people all around the world. The fact that the stories continue to be about famous white women has everything to do with who the media places attention on.
So many people who deal with sexual harassment don't have the means to file lawsuits or to get legal representation or legal advice.
I just don't believe that 'no' is always a final answer - unless we're talking about consent.
Foundations have to think outside the box and maybe expand past the usual suspects that get all of the funding and start thinking about how to reach into communities and support community healing on a more local level.
I'm driven by the gaps, the things that are missing, the areas where marginalized people exist - and where the least resources are available for them.
Smoking is definitely not cool anymore, and the folks who have worked against that have done a great job.
I'm grounded in joy; I'm not grounded in the trauma anymore.
