The Me Too Movement: Removing Shame and Uplifting Survivors
In 2017, The New York Times published an exposé detailing decades of sexual abuse by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein—abuse that many women had endured in silence. The reporting helped ignite a global reckoning and brought renewed visibility to the Me Too movement, sparking tens of millions of conversations online and beyond.
While often associated with exposing powerful abusers, the Me Too movement is ultimately about uplifting survivors, challenging stigma, and creating pathways to healing and accountability. It has become a rallying cry not only for women, but also for men and gender-diverse people who have experienced harassment, discrimination, and abuse. What began as conversations in homes and workplaces has grown into a global movement demanding cultural change and systemic reform. In 2019 alone, the #MeToo hashtag was viewed more than 42 billion times, underscoring the movement’s reach, longevity, and urgency. Around the world, countries have responded by instituting new workplace protections and policies in answer to survivors’ calls for justice.
Importantly, the Me Too movement did not begin in 2017. In 2006, activist Tarana Burke created the Me Too campaign while working with young Black women and girls from low-wealth communities. Through culturally responsive conversations and curriculum, she sought to address sexual violence and support survivors—particularly those too often excluded from public discourse. As Burke has said, her goal was simple and powerful: “to spread a message for survivors: You’re heard, you’re understood.”
For educators and school communities, the #MeToo and #MeTooK12 movements offer an opportunity to reflect on how schools address consent, relationships, sex education, and the harmful culture of silence that can exist around abuse. On January 1, 2018, the Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS) initiative launched the #MeTooK12 campaign to support this critical work.
Explore the resources in this collection to deepen understanding of the Me Too movement and its relevance in educational spaces.
You can also discover additional free resources in Share My Lesson’s updated Women's History Month collection.
