Major media players start commission for sexual misconduct with Anita Hill steering it

Share

By ANDREW DALTON, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The biggest figures and institutions in entertainment have established a commission to be chaired by Anita Hill that intends to combat sexual misconduct and inequality in the industry in the wake of the huge wave of revelations spurred by allegations against Harvey Weinstein. A statement Friday announced the founding of the Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace, a group that grew out of a meeting called by “Star Wars” producer Kathleen Kennedy and several other prominent women in the industry.

“The Commission will not seek just one solution, but a comprehensive strategy to address the complex and interrelated causes of the problems of parity and power,” Kennedy said in a statement.
The chief executives of nearly every major Hollywood studio, TV network and record label attended the meeting and agreed to found and to fund the group, the statement said. The long list includes Disney CEO Bob Iger, Paramount CEO Karen Stuart, Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge and CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves.

The movie and music academies and many of the major agencies and unions that represent entertainers also signed on. “The fact that so many industry leaders — across film, television, music, digital, unions, agencies … and guilds — came together, in one room, to explore solutions speaks to a new era,” Kennedy said. The group chose as its chair the law professor Hill, who brought the concept of sexual harassment to national consciousness in 1991 when she testified during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas.

“It is time to end the culture of silence,” Hill said in a statement. “I’ve been at this work for 26 years. This moment presents us with an unprecedented opportunity to make real change.”

The commission said in its statement that it would reconvene immediately after the first of the year to hone its mission, scope and priorities.The revelations about Weinstein in The New York Times and the New Yorker in October have brought on two months unlike any the media world has ever seen, with nearly daily allegations of sexual harassment assault and abuse involving some of the most prominent players in entertainment including Kevin Spacey, Louis CK, Dustin Hoffman and Russell Simmons.

Hill has been making appearances in Southern California in recent days before Friday’s announcement, speaking to a gathering of entertainers and executives in Beverly Hills last week.
She said there that she knew that despite Thomas’ confirmation to the Supreme Court, the issue would one day return.

“I never believed 1991 was the end,” she said, “and I was going to make sure in my life that I never saw that as the defining moment for me or for this issue.”
___
AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this story.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

Daft Punk’s Interstella 5555: A nostalgic journey through music and animation

Last night, I was able to go see Daft Punk...

“BEING UNDERESTIMATED OR OVERESTIMATED” on Morning Energy

“Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Being Underestimated“…Tim Fargo It has been said to “never...

Talking Animals: Blind author recounts surviving 9/11 and other experiences–lessons learned–with his eight guide dogs

Michael Hingson recounts how he had the brilliant idea for...

A night to remember: Keller Williams at Skipper’s Smokehouse

We had a truly unforgettable night at Skipper’s Smokehouse, where...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

The 70's Show
Player position: