During the Slavery Era, Black women laid the groundwork for modern rape crisis centers. So why are they left out of the healing process for #MeToo? Share on Pinterest How we see the world shapes who we choose to be — and sharing compelling experiences can frame the way we treat each other, for the better. This is a powerful perspective. If you dig into many of the cultural and social advancements today, you’ll find a rich history of Black torchbearers replaced by white faces. Marijuana? Black leaders advocated for the legalization of marijuana as a civil rights issue long before it was popular. Body positivity? While often attributed to Ashley Graham, it’s a movement that in fact originated with Black plus-sized femmes. The #MeToo movement and unveiling of widespread sexual assault? Despite what you may have heard, the credit doesn’t belong to actress Alyssa Milano. African-American sexual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke first introduced the phrase in 2006 to raise awareness specifically for marginalized victims. But this fight for sexual justice has been going on since the American Civil War. The connection between #MeToo and slavery

“The history of the rape crisis movement in the United States is also a history of the struggle of African-American women against racism and sexism.”



— Gillian Greensite, the director of Rape Prevention Education at University of California, Santa Cruz, on the History of the Rape Crisis Movement To replace Black faces with white ones would be dishonest and insulting to the efforts Black women have made to create a better world for survivors and victims of abuse. But it also removes Black women from the conversation and causes serious detrimental effects to their health.