An Open Letter to the #MeToo Movement

Dear #MeToo Movement,

In the present, many of us question what parts of our reality will go down in history textbooks. We can't see the impact of a certain policy, or the effects of a trade deal right when they happen. Only time will be able to tell us which events will become significant, and which will be forgotten.

However, there are moments in our lives that when we are living them, we know that they are important. When revolutionaries dumped tea in the Boston Harbor, they knew change was coming. When union riots ensued in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, workers knew that change was coming. When men and women alike stood for racial equality in the 1960s, they knew that change was coming.

And now, when we march in the streets for women's rights and liberty, we know that change is coming.

The #MeToo movement falls into the same category as all of these other world-changing moments in history. If anything, it's larger than its predecessors, because the movement has spread around the globe. On January 21st, 2018, nearly all states in the U.S. participated in the Women's March, and other countries including France, Germany, Italy, and Canada marched as well.

In my opinion, you have been a long time coming. Sexual assault has been a pressing issue for as long as I can remember. In fact, I can't imagine a world where my mom doesn't tell me to "watch my back" every time I return to college, or when I don't tense up whenever I have to walk back to my dorm in the dark.

As I got older and began to understand the necessity for these forewarnings, I remember always wondering why. Why should I stick my keys between my fingers when I walked to my car alone? Why did I need to park under a street lamp? Why did I have to bring a bottle of pepper spray when I went to college? Why did I have to avoid certain fraternities? Why couldn't I leave my drink when I went to the bathroom?

Whenever I asked why, I was always given the same answer: Because people are crazy. For a while, I was satisfied with that. It's true. We've all heard about the rapists who abduct young women, or flashers who walk down the street and expose themselves to others. The way that those "crazy people" are described, though, makes them seem like they are a minority, like they don't walk around right next to us.

We add that distance to make us feel comfortable, to make us feel safe.

But, by doing so, we are lying to ourselves.

According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), there are 321,500 victims of rape and sexual assault per year. That number is hard to even visualize, but it would be like saying that one American is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds.

Even as I am sitting and writing this post, I am hesitant to do so. This subject is uncomfortable. We don't want to address that something so horrible is happening in our society. We don't want to believe that statistics like 1 in 6 American women have been the victim of attempted or completed rape are true.

I think for a long time, even I did not want to admit that sexual assault was so widespread. In my neat little suburb in my clean little town, I would say that sexual assault was unheard of.

That is, until this week.

On Wednesday, my former high school psychology teacher, one that I only had for a semester, was arrested for sexual battery against a minor. I knew him, and so did most of my 2017 graduating class. In fact, many of my peers elected to take several classes with them because they enjoyed his relaxed and fun attitude. We didn't know that one of those people that we had spent so long trying to ignore was walking our halls, grading our papers, and laughing at our jokes.

There was no way for us to know, and I'm sure that this teacher's family is devastated by this news. I'm angry about it, but I realize that I am more sad than I am angry. Throughout this week since I heard the news, I've returned to the question of why, because I just can't seem to make sense of why someone would commit such atrocities.

This is the reason that the #MeToo movement is so important. You tear down that veil of ignorance so that everyone can realize that sexual assault is far more common than we believe. You reveal what has been glossed over in our society for too long. You show us that there is an endless pattern of the objectification of women.

You tell us that a 25-minute online presentation about how rape is bad is not good enough.

If anything is going to change, we need to rip down the patriarchy, eliminate gender roles, and take a stand. That is why you are so extraordinary. People are listening, and they are gathering in enormous numbers to stand together, united. Only together can we establish a society where rape statistics aren't so staggering, where women aren't condemned for reporting that they've been sexually assaulted, and where parking garages are safe at all times of the day.

Time's. Up.

Yours Truly,

P.S. Applause to the courts for Larry Nassar's sentence. Thank you to the 150+ brave women who spoke up. Justice has been served.