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(Gabriel Olsen/WireImage) Celebrity Women Show Solidarity Across All Industries With Announcement Of Time’s Up If you hadn’t already noticed, the ladies of Hollywood have officially gotten into formation , kicking off 2018 with January 21 announcements (along with ads in The New York Times and La Opinion) revealing that some 300 powerful Hollywood women have vowed solidarity with women across all industries who have suffered sexual harassment, abuse and pay inequality. More importantly, one of the main objectives of the initiative is to raise money ($15 million is the goal, with over $13 million already raised) to fund legal representation for the women who will need it most. Along with social media posts from some of the most famous actresses and directors in the business, the website for the initative published an open letter that acknowledged how the revelations about Harvey Weinstein and other alleged creeps helped bring attention to the problem, while admitting it was mainly when the actresses involved received a letter of solidarity from the Alianza Nacional de Campesinas (the National Farmworker Women’s Alliance) that they knew something bigger must be done. “It’s very hard for us to speak righteously about the rest of anything if we haven’t cleaned our own house,” Shonda Rhimes, the executive producer of the television series “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder,” who has been closely involved with the group, told the NY Times “If this group of women can’t fight for a model for other women who don’t have as much power and privilege, then who can?” Ms. Rhimes continued. Other Time’s Up members include the actresses Ashley Judd, Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, Natalie Portman, Rashida Jones, Emma Stone, Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon; the showrunner Jill Soloway; Donna Langley, chairwoman of Universal Pictures; the lawyers Nina L. Shaw and Tina Tchen, who served as Michelle Obama’s chief of staff; and Maria Eitel, an expert in corporate responsibility who is co-chairwoman of the Nike Foundation. “People were moved so viscerally,” said Ms. Eitel, who helps moderate Time’s Up meetings, which began in October. “They didn’t come together because they wanted to whine, or complain, or tell a story or bemoan. They came together because they intended to act. There was almost a ferociousness to it, especially in the first meetings.” Time’s up is run by volunteers, there is no formal leader. The initiative is also formed by several groups, including one which oversaw the creation of a commission, led by Anita Hill which is working towards making a blueprint for ending sexual harassment in entertainment. There’s another group called 50/50by2020 which is pushing entertainment organizations and companies to agree to reach gender parity in their leadership tiers within two years. Lena Waithe is working with yet another organization to ensure minorities and gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people are heard. “No one wants to look back and say they stood at the sidelines,” said Lena Waithe, a star of the Netflix series “Master of None” and part of that working group. Time’s Up is also urging women to wear black at this Sunday’s Golden Globes, and to use the red carpet as an opportunity to speak out about gender and racial inequality and to raise awareness about the initiative. This is HUGE… We urge you to read the messages from Time’s up below and to read the open letter on their website BECAUSE this is truly an issue that affects ALL of us. More messages from some of our favorites in entertaiment when you continue.

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Clock Out Creeps: Time’s Up Legal Fund Established To Defend All Women From Overly Aggressive Overtures