*By Max Godnick* It's been one year to the day since The New York Times published its [Pulitzer Prize-winning exposé](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html) detailing allegations of sexual harassment against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. And in that time, the #MeToo movement that sprang from those claims has become much more than a hashtag. Its influence has stretched into nearly every industry ー and it's even inspired the creation of another cause, Time's Up. That organization was [launched](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/01/movies/times-up-hollywood-women-sexual-harassment.html) by over 300 powerful women in entertainment who called for equal pay, anti-harassment legislation, and the creation of a multi-million dollar legal defense fund. "There's never been an effort like this before," Sharyn Tejani, the director of the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, said Friday in an interview on Cheddar. Tejani credits the Weinstein allegations with creating necessary momentum and shifting international focus to harassment in the workplace. The accusations also allowed Time's Up to grow as powerful as it is today. "I've been doing civil rights work and women's rights work for 20 years," she said. "If you had told me at any point in that time that we would have an organization like this one that's focused on low-wage workers and focused on sex harassment, I would have told you that's simply impossible." The Time's Up Legal Defense Fund is focused on four key missions: matching victims of sexual discrimination in the workplace with attorneys, funding cases, helping victims find public relations and media assistance, and educating workers about their rights. Since its founding, the fund has fielded requests from 3,557 workers from all 50 states. It has amassed a network of 782 attorneys and has committed to funding 51 cases so far. Tejani described some of the cases Time's Up has taken on, including one of a 15-year-old McDonald's employee who was harassed while working her first-ever job and that of a retail worker whose sexual harassment increased after she became pregnant. "They're heart-rending, and they're so important," Tejani said of her clients' stories. Despite its founding under the stewardship of Hollywood A-listers like Reese Witherspoon and Salma Hayek, the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund is focused on fighting for the rights of a much less celebrated sector of the workforce: low-wage workers. Tejani said that the demographic is uniquely vulnerable to harassment, which can cause depression, PTSD, and lead to a fear of going to work. The few who do come forward are often punished by their employers ー losing shifts, having their pay cut, being pushed off projects, or simply getting fired. "We're really pleased that we're reaching the people that we hoped we'd be reaching," Tejani said. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-times-up-legal-defense-fund-looks-back-at-one-year-of-metoo).

Share:
More In Politics
Lawmakers Push Meta On Paid Ads Pushing Russian Misinformation
Six House lawmakers are calling on Meta to stop paid ads from Chinese news companies that push Russian misinformation regarding the war in Ukraine. ​​Matt Skibinski, General Manager, NewsGuard Technologies joins Cheddar to discuss the role of social media in this war.
Markets Close Higher as Investors Digest Latest Fed Decision
Reva Shakkottai, Senior Vice President and financial advisor at RBC Wealth Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she elaborates on factors besides Wednesday's Fed decision that led to gains across the major indexes on Thursday, including new home construction and jobless claims data.
Rep. Adam Schiff at SXSW 2022 Says Americans Willing to Sacrifice to Sanction Russia
Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif. 29th District) joined Cheddar News at South By Southwest to discuss the variety of sanctions that the United States has placed on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine began last month and the impacts they are having both domestically and abroad. With rising gas prices, especially in states like California, Schiff noted that the American people are willing to make sacrifices in order to uphold their values and suggested that crisis may be a warning to shift away from fossil fuels. "At the end of the day though, this ought to be a wake up call that we need to stop our reliance on this oil economy and move to renewable sources of energy," he said. Schiff also explained his remarks about the January 6 commission investigating those closest to former President Trump and touched on a disturbing case in San Francisco where the police department used rape kit samples to ID a murder suspect.
Markets Open Lower As Fed Announces Interest Rate Hike
Markets opened lower as the Federal Reserve announces plans to hike interest rates by a quarter point, while signaling six additional rate hikes later this year. Gary Schlossberg, Global Strategist, Wells Fargo Investment Institute, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Apple Doubling Down on $100 Million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative From SXSW 2022
Apple's Racial Equity and Justice Initiative is a $100 million program aimed at combating systemic racism while working to advance racial equity across the country. Alisha Johnson, director of the initiative, joined Cheddar at SXSW to discuss the work being done. "We focused on three critical areas. The first is education. The second is criminal justice reform, and the third is economic empowerment, really looking first in our own supply chain, how can we really increase our spend with Latinx, Hispanic, and indigenous-owned businesses," she said. "And then how can we go further to empower entrepreneurs who have been cut out of access to funding and capital and really help them to get the funding."
Load More