Celebrating Four Years of Purple ?
The Washington Post: Why I left my corporate legal job to work full-time on #MeToo
Four years ago today, I was nervously refreshing my phone waiting for the Washington Post to publish my Op-Ed announcing the launch of the Purple Campaign. It was a major turning point in my career from which I knew there would be no turning back.
I hadn’t planned on leaving my corporate law firm job to launch a non-profit to address workplace harassment – until a combination of personal and professional events collided with the global #MeToo movement and created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As I wrote in the Op-Ed, I believe “lasting change must come from both the bottom up and the top down” and that it requires a “broad coalition of diverse stakeholders who will advocate for lasting reform” to address the problem.
If you’d asked me then where I thought the Purple Campaign would be in four years, I don’t think I could have imagined the growth or impact we’ve been able to have – in companies, Congress, the courts, and communities across America.
We’ve formed meaningful partnerships with some of the largest employers in the world, and worked with them to launch the first-of-its-kind program to certify companies that take harassment seriously. We’ve successfully advocated for the enactment of stronger anti-harassment laws in Congress, in the states, and by filing amicus briefs that have resulted in favorable decisions in the courts. And we’ve created communities of support and resources to empower survivors and allies to share their experiences with harassment and strategize about how best to work together to create lasting, meaningful change.
The video below highlights some of our major accomplishments. You can also see how our work has been covered in the press over the years.
The best part? We’re just getting started. It’s only January, but 2022 is shaping up to be the Purple Campaign’s best year yet, and I’m excited to share a bit about what’s on the horizon:
Corporate Engagement:
In December, Gilead Sciences became the first biopharmaceutical company to become Purple Certified – and now we’re excited to officially open up our certification process to new industries and invite additional selected companies to participate in the program. If your company or a company you know of is interested in becoming Purple Certified, learn more here.
Law and Policy:
In early February, oral arguments will be held in Jane Roe v. United States et. al., a case we filed an amicus brief in on behalf of a federal judiciary employee who was sexually harassed by her supervisor and then retaliated against when she came forward. Ensuring adequate workplace protections for employees of the federal judiciary is an issue we’ve also been working hard on in Congress through our advocacy for the Judicial Accountability Act. As Congress advances this issue in 2022, I’m sure we’ll have more to share soon.
Empowerment and Action:
I’m thrilled to be heading back to my alma mater, Tulane University, on February 10th to speak with students about what they can do to address sexual misconduct. I’m also looking forward to more thought leadership events in the months to come – including our next #MeToo Meet Up event. Register for the event which will be focused on harassment in the judiciary.
None of this would be possible without people like you supporting our mission. Whether you’ve donated, joined us as a corporate partner, attended one of our events, covered the problem of workplace harassment in the press, or simply opened this email and read it all the way to the end, I am so very grateful. Here’s to the next four years, and a more empowered and equal future for us all.
#PledgePurple,
Ally Coll
Purple Campaign President