Here, “Everyone’s Invited” To Share Stories of Sexism

SOMA SARA, FOUNDER, EVERYONE`S INVITED: So, I started this platform back in June, after having many conversations with friends about our experiences through our teenagers and university. And it was, sadly, revealed that so many of us have had these experiences of sexual violence and rape culture growing up. And when I talk about rape culture, I’m talking about a culture where things that aren’t normal are actually normalized. So, this is a wider culture, which includes behaviors such as sexual harassment, misogyny, sexism, the derogatory sexist comments. And it`s when things like the nonconsensual sharing of intimate photos and sexual harassment is normalized, this can actually act as a gateway to more extreme acts of rape and sexual assault. So it was actually after I shared my own experiences of this culture on my Instagram, and I was immediately completely overwhelmed with stories from everyone I knew really reaching out to me saying how much they resonated with everything I was saying about rape culture, and also began sharing their testimonies of sexual violence and abuse and harassment. So, in response to this viral moment of stories, which I shared on my Instagram, I decided to create a more permanent platform called Everyone`s Invited of all survivors to share their stories and to raise awareness.

AMANPOUR: So, let me turn to you, Kamilah, because you shared your experiences, as — at Harvard law school back in 2011 on a documentary that actually was aired by CNN called “The Hunting Ground.” Tell me about your experience. And are you surprised, heartened by the response to Everyone’s Invited?

KAMILAH WILLINGHAM, FEMINIST WRITER AND ACTIVIST: Yes. Well, I was a law student back in, yes, 2011. I had just turned 25. And I went out with friends and, like, crashed at my place and woke up to being sexually assaulted by a classmate. And I did all the things that I thought were the right things to do. I reported it to the police. I reported it to my school. I tried to hold out hope that at least one of those processes would deliver justice. And it failed. Both systems failed. My school actually — or, at least, professors at my school were very retaliatory towards me, especially as I started speaking out. And the criminal justice process was a dead end that was mainly re-traumatizing. And seeing the response now to Everyone`s Invited some five years after I spoke out is really heartening. I guess any platform that gives survivors an opportunity to speak out in a way that feels safe, I love that people can speak out anonymously and still have such an immense impact.