Alum Jen Schradie Weighs in on #MeToo on CNN
Ever since the initial sexual assault and harrassment scandal against Harvey Weinstein broke, more and more powerful male figures are facing accusations of their own. The viral #MeToo movement bolstered this scrutiny on abuses of power, encouraging people to share their stories about being forced to deal with inappropriate sexual behavior.
Jen Schradie, BCNM alum and sociologist studying digital activism, shared her insights about the impact of #MeToo with CNN:
"Based on my research, the movements that are most successful are those who have an organizational infrastructure in place: a network, a coalition, a united front of a group of celebrities or established organizations," she said.
She points to the civil rights movement as the ultimate example of success.
"The energy we see in the #MeToo movement is very similar to that of the civil rights movement," Schradie said, "but the difference is, the civil rights movement was able to connect people who just heard about it with actual organizations who were coordinating resistance.
"I've found that the groups that can sustain high levels of online participation are those which are more structured and have volunteers and staff dedicated to keeping that online effort in place."
Read the rest of the CNN article here. If you're interested in hearing more of her thoughts on #MeToo, click here to read The Daily Beast article where she also contributed her expertise.