Crossing Bridges Together

2022 was no doubt a turbulent year, marked by our emergence from lockdowns and discovering our “new normal” after the pandemic revealed so much about who we are. So many lives were lost due to COVID-19, and so many families forever changed. As we sift through the challenges of what we lost and the joys of being able to gather with our communities again, many facts remain about 2022. It will forever be the year that the Supreme Court, now weighed by conservative appointees, overturned Roe v. Wade — upending abortion rights across the U.S. With federal protections removed, legislative battles are now being fought at the state level with virtually no uniformity. The ripple effect has been horrific, with survivors of sexual violence deeply impacted, especially those Black and Brown, and all communities of color. It was also a U.S. midterm election year, and as we witnessed more political shifts, the realities of rising inflation and the threat of a recession concluded the year with a feeling of unease.

It’s important to recognize, especially in moments of challenge and struggle – OUR WINS – no matter how small. Last year marked the 5th Anniversary of #MeToo and reminded us to take stock of what has been made possible since 2017 when the hashtag went viral. Over 20 laws have been passed to make workplaces safer from harassment and violence; organizations and companies created countless policies to prevent workplace rape culture and hold those who cause harm accountable. Not only in the U.S., but also globally, the increased discussion on the issue of sexual violence was made possible by #MeToo, and organizers and activists across the world have been successful in not only passing legislation, but also in changing culture and behavior. There is greater attention on the pervasiveness of rape culture than there has ever been, and a current of transformation continues to reshape our society five years later.

Inside this report, you’ll find a treasure of offerings the ‘me too.’ organization brought to the virtual and physical streets in 2022, grounded in reaching a broad cross-section of Black and Brown communities.

After four years of convening, thought partnership and writing and revision, our social and political framework — our foundation — was brought into the world, and there is so much more to come from it! We launched Survivor’s Sanctuary, an online, first-of-its-kind self-guided healing platform, free for anyone to access lessons and activities wherever you are in your healing journey. Our February Survivor Healing Series reached survivors in their homes, workspaces, and places of worship. Holistic programming − like Survivor Leadership Training and Historically Black College and University (HBCU) internships − equipped young people with tangible skills to support survivors on their campuses and strategies to improve their community safety. The partnerships we’ve continued to develop this year, through the Survivors’ Agenda, and the poll we conducted assessing voters’ attitudes toward the need for political candidates to address sexual harassment and violence, added dimension to our already multifaceted survivor community. Our partnership with Global Fund for Women and the deep and thoughtful work of planning a global network of survivor-led groups in the Global South is evidence that formations across the world are thirsty for new ways of thinking about disrupting, resisting, and dismantling the systems that perpetuate sexual violence.

In just four years as an organization, ‘me too.’ has developed a location-based healing resource library, commissioned resources for survivors and advocates, written core programming curricula for individual survivors, built a free healing platform, executed countless campaigns pushing for continued progress toward survivor justice, led partnerships to support the field of folks working with survivors every day, and much more! In 2023, we will embark on a strategic planning process to determine the next phase of the organization’s work. We are excited to engage with our communities (i.e., those in the field, philanthropy, and everyday folks) to determine where we need to hone in and focus our efforts.

We look forward to working alongside new partners and friends who have yet to see the needs of the survivors they serve. We will continue to look for the bridges we can cross to bring together those who don’t see themselves in our work, for them to understand the efforts of ‘me too.’ are for them, too.