Remember Time’s Up and #MeToo This Weekend

In big red letters in the middle of the envelope were the words, “Time’s Up!” The words struck me as I remembered this weekend hundreds of Women’s Marches are happening across the globe. “Me Too” was the original mantra and movement that sparked the “Time’s Up” Movement a year afterward. If you don’t remember #MeToo is a movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault. “Time’s Up” is a movement against sexual harassment founded by Los Angeles stars in response to allegations against Harvey Weinstein and in support of the #MeToo Movement. Female celebrities wore black to major award ceremonies and Time’sUp buttons to share their experiences and end sexual wrongdoings in Hollywood.

Just before taking 150 women with me to the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, I publically acknowledged for the first time I was a #MeToo survivor in two cases. I grew up next to a pedophile, which is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. He never touched us but displayed his body parts to us many times. My sister and I only spoke of this to each other and never to an adult because we simply didn’t know what to say. We were in elementary school.

When I was 22 years old, I was sexually harassed by a prominent client of my male boss who was a Vice President at an Investment Banking firm in Philadelphia. The man would call me “sweet hips,” bring me gifts and relentlessly ask me to go to Spain with him on trips even though he was married. My male boss knew what was happening but only said to me, “Tracy, you will not offend him and you will be nice to him, he is my largest client,” to which I replied, “Fine, but I am not doing anything with him or going anywhere with him!” I left my job within four months because I could not stand the pressure.

It wasn’t until women started sharing their stories about sexual abuse and sexual harassment on our bus trip to DC that I remembered both these experiences and felt a need to share it with other women. In revealing my story I was invited to Governor Cuomo’s 2018 State of the State Address to sit with the #MeToo Founder and other survivors. My #MeToo story is not shared often although it is a part of my history and something I am willing to share with others. My experience is most likely is the reason I am a feminist in spirit and in solidarity with women first and foremost in all aspects of life, business and sports.

This weekend if you join one of the Women’s Marches, you may be marching to stand in solidarity with other women with past hurts, scary situations or wrongdoings they still face today – like pay inequality, glass ceiling issues or sexual harassment in the workplace. Realize you are not alone as you march shoulder to shoulder with other women who care about you and females in our generation. Women are strong. Women are one. Women will survive and thrive as we move forward together with #MeToo and #TimesUp at our side.