Time’s Up is becoming more and more powerful. According to Variety, the anti-harassment movement will continue its awards show domination at Sunday’s Academy Awards, and its defense fund has already raised $21 million. Not bad considering the movement was launched just two months ago. The fact that Time’s Up has been contacted by 1,700 women from all over the country requesting support proves just how necessary it is.
The group hasn’t specified what exactly its members’ Oscar plans are, but “13th” helmer Ava DuVernay teased that there is “a moment that’s been carved out” that will highlight Time’s Up’s mission and accomplishments. However, unlike its demonstrations at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs — where members wore black and invited activists along as guests — “the Time’s Up organization is not planning a coordinated protest Sunday,” the source clarifies. “Individual members of the group will be going as themselves.”
Beyond the red carpet, Time’s Up has been making inroads with its legal defense fund, which offers legal assistance to women in all industries. Fund leader Tina Tchen, Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff, commented that the fund “has just exploded,” per Deadline. It has received $21M from 20,000 donors from all 50 states. Contributions have ranged from $5 to $2M. “That momentum has just continued and grown but so has the need,” Tchen said.
It has indeed. So far 1,700 women from around the country have asked for help from the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. The fund has managed to find lawyers for 1,250 of them. Women from all types of professions have reached out, including first responders, prison guards, steelworkers, Silicon Valley employees, and cosmetologists.
The legal defense fund is expected to begin dispersing its money via the National Women’s Law Center next week. Many of the 500 attorneys attached to Time’s Up are currently working pro bono.
As Time’s Up is dedicated to being as inclusive as possible — and handles a myriad of gender-related work issues including equal pay, paid leave, and non-discriminatory promotion practices — it is also partnering with StoryCorps, a non-profit that documents stories from Americans of all backgrounds and belief systems. Shonda Rhimes, Ashley Judd, Jane Fonda, and America Ferrera are all set to record their stories as a way to personalize Time’s Up’s mission.
“Sexual harassment is a symptom of a system and a culture, so the story becomes really important,” DuVernay observed. “There’s a human face to it and the stories make a difference. It’s not raising money or a part of the campaign. It’s a vital record and a quest to change culture.”
Time’s Up doesn’t just boast Hollywood power players among its ranks: it consists of many smaller groups that are especially focused on the needs of women of color, women from lower-income communities, and others. “There are a bunch of different groups, so people can come in and out of and there is a flexible leadership structure,” DuVernay detailed. This way everyone’s needs are addressed and no one dominates the spotlight due to their privilege.
“A revolution for the next generation is occurring where everyone’s voices being loud and true are inspiring the next generation right now to ask for their safety and well-being [in the workplace],” said “Big Little Lies’” Laura Dern. “It’s extraordinary.”
