Why Women (and Men) Are Wearing Black to Trump’s State of the Union Speech
I think by looking at it you know that it's black and there's an important reason tonight why I'm wearing black. And I'm comfortable in my own skin and the dress is comfortable. That's why I'm wearing it. [MUSIC] I got on board pretty fast with Time's Up. Time's up on the silence that so many folks have felt they've had to be in for far too long. I'm wearing Rasario and they're very, very happy to be a part of this whole initiative. It feels like a turning point, it feels like this is a big shift. Being on The Real is very important for me To stand up for women. Mm hm. I was very honored to wear black, everyone looks good in it, number one, it's slimming, and it means a lot to everyone to stand in solidarity and to know that you're supported. I think it's really important to stand with woman in this industry, and the male survivors This industry as well. Especially in Rap people have been outspoken in that way to come together as a collective. You know, it's sympolic really. It's not the whole thing but it's sympolic of everything that's going on. It's just a show from a visual perspective like the solidarity and that everyone is together. On this and I think that's powerful. I had a option of why in black and obviously we're all in black for solidarity against sexual assualt. I've actually had my eye on this dress for months, like I was like, when can I wear that dress? And then we kind of felt like because of the big movement, we were like we're gonna do that one but it has a little bit of Golden Globe touch to it, so we were like, okay, it's good. Was not hard for me to wear a black dress. At all It's a pretty overwhelming and thrilling ceremony and to hear the extraordinary solidarity for gender equality both in Hollywood which has this really ospicious opportunity to lead and across all industries in our country it's been a very special night. I feel quite gitty
When President Trump took the stage for Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, he looked out on a sea of black. Men and women in Congress stuck to the dark dress code to stand in solidarity with survivors of sexual harassment, joining parts with Hollywood’s Time’s Up movement, and the results were impressive.
Earlier this month California Democrat and U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier put out the call to action, asking representatives from both sides of the aisle to join together in black. “This is a culture change that is sweeping the country, and Congress is embracing it,” Speier told HuffPost.
My colleagues and I in the @HouseDemWomen are calling on our fellow MoCs - women & men, Democrats & Republicans - to wear black to this year's #SOTU in solidarity w/survivors of sexual harassment/violence in Hollywood, politics, the military, academia, etc. #TIMESUP #MeToo
— Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) January 10, 2018
In 2017, the politician shared her own story of sexual harassment, saying that a staffer on Capitol Hill “held my face, kissed me, and stuck his tongue in my mouth.”
It’s important to note that President Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. He has denied all reports.
RELATED: Why the Grammys Attempt at #MeToo Fell Flat
On Tuesday night, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives showed their support for ending sexual harassment, dressing in black for the occasion. But there were a few noticeably absent from the audience.
Several Democratic lawmakers, plus Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, announced ahead of time that they would be boycotting Trump’s first State of the Union after several comments made by the president, including his alleged remark about “shithole” nations.
