Ellen's encouraging words

                                 Ellen's Encouraging Words 

In the wake of Dr. Ford's testimony against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, numerous figure heads have come to social media to express their support of Dr. Ford and to also share their personal stories of the time they were sexual assaulted or raped. 

In an Ellen DeGeneres show which aired on Wednesday night, Busy Phillips opened up about sexual assault she experienced as a 14 year old child. Then Ellen followed saying: "I was 15 and I had something happen to me and when I watched Dr. Ford, anyone who's had something happen to them, you just get so angry when someone doesn't believe you or say, 'Why did you wait so long?'" she said. "It's because we're girls and we're taught not to say anything and go along with it."

Near the conclusion of the show, Ellen noted "I think that this conversation needs to happen more and people need to first of all teach your children to speak up and don't ever keep something in and don't ever be ashamed and think that it's your problem and your fault". 

I think Dr. Ford's testimony is going to make a change in the #MeToo movement and i believe Ellen's words are going to foreshadow that change in perception and action. While the first phase of the movement has done a great job calling out sexual assault perpetrators to the public.  In  households across the country, I think we will start to hear parents, grandparents, and guardians increasingly talk to their children about the importance of sharing and reporting sexual assault experiences they have immediately after they happen rather than decades later. More and more parents will tell children that "this is not okay". I also think we will see a growing number of teacher and school counselors encouraging students to report sexual assault crimes.