Hollywood's #TimesUp Movement Is A Major Part Of The Women's March, As It Should Be

It's hard to believe that it's been a full year since the world saw millions of women rally together in the streets of their respective cities to protest the inauguration of President Trump during last year's Women's March. With the conversation surrounding women's rights evolving heavily over the past year, you might be wondering if #TimesUp is part of the 2018 Women's March. With #TimesUp and #MeToo gaining traction, supporters are using the Women's March as a way to take a stand.

Last year, millions of women (and men) across the globe — including celebrity supporters like Madonna, America Ferrera, and Chelsea Handler — participated in protests as a way to defend the rights they believed would be threatened or stripped away from them altogether with Trump taking office. One year later, in the wake of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations rattling Hollywood and many other industries, women have even more reasons to take the streets and demand further action and deeper change.

A quick look at the #TimesUp hashtag on Twitter shows hundreds of users voicing their support for Saturday's march in the name of the movement. And according to a tweet from actor Amber Tamblyn, many of the actors spearheading the #TimesUp initiative are currently doing their part in walking the streets among other supporters of the movement. Tamblyn posted a short clip of herself and a large group of women holding #TimesUp signs and shouting "Time's Up" into the camera. Also taking the time to march is Mira Sorvino, one of many actors who spoke out late last year about Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment scandal, including claims that she was blacklisted. (Weinstein has denied all claims of nonconsensual sex, as well as the blacklist allegations.)

In case it wasn't already apparent, the Women's March is about so much more than just resisting President Trump. It's about women coming together to stand in solidarity and demand change, whether that change be social or political. The mission statement on the official Women's March website notes that the movement is "committed to dismantling systems of oppression through nonviolent resistance and building inclusive structures guided by self-determination, dignity and respect."

Over the past year, women have inspired a tremendous amount of change and worked hard to do a lot of "dismantling," in both politics and the entertainment industry. Both the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements were created on the heels of a barrage of revelations about men in power allegedly using their positions to oppress and abuse women, so it's not surprising at all that supporters of both hashtags are now playing a major role in this year's march.

The #TimesUp campaign was launched last month by nearly 300 A-list Hollywood women hoping to end sexual harassment and misconduct in the entertainment industry and other fields. The organizers — some of which include Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes, and Ava DuVernay — started the campaign shortly after the #MeToo movement gained popularity, and the intent behind it is to to support victims of sexual harassment and assault by paying their legal fees. Since its inception, #TimesUp has raised close to $19 million. The movement was able to garner even more attention in the last two weeks when men and women in Hollywood took to the Golden Globes red carpet in black to raise awareness.

Even though sexual harassment is just one of many issues women are protesting today, #TimesUp is playing a huge role in this year's march. Women have proven that they're a forced to be reckoned with since last year's Women's March, and we shouldn't expect for that to slow down. In just one month, #TimesUp has shown a tremendous amount of growth, and today's Women's March is just another platform for supporters of the movement to raise even more awareness.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org.