Time's Up, Me Too, and the National Women's Law Center Launch New Initiative Centering Black Survivors of Sexual Violence

“For every Black woman who reports rape through formal channels, at least 15 do not report,” reads a line from the Know the Facts section of ‘We, As Ourselves.’ The website details a new initiative created by the leaders of Me Too, Time’s Up, and the National Women’s Law Center to “[upend] historical and cultural narratives that harm and silence Black survivors” by centering their stories and creating safe spaces for survivors to be heard and most importantly, believed.

The site also features a video of prominent Black women, some of them known survivors of sexual assault such as Gabrielle Union and Lili Bernard, offering support to survivors and offering a call to action for others to take a pledge to stand in solidarity with Black women whose stories of sexual assault are rarely believed and in the worst cases go completely unheard.

According to Variety, Me Too, Time’s Up, and the National Women’s Law Center will be launching a week of action focused on Black survivors, coinciding with Sexual Assault Awareness Month. But the mission of We, As Ourselves, will likely extend beyond the month into a long term project as the site explains its work in eliminating the factors that “leave Black survivors unprotected and vulnerable to sexual violence” which the site traces back to centuries of enslavement.

Other than the video and a form where visitors to the site can sign a pledge, there is a resource page linking back to information on healing, local community organizations, and national organizations helping people to escape from violent situations.