On Thursday, Bill Cosby was found guilty of three felony counts of aggravated
indecent assault against Andrea Constand. The court’s decision comes after
over eighteen years of accusations and allegations that spanned nearly five
decades. When I first heard of the news, I had a bittersweet feeling about it all.
On one hand, one of my biggest childhood influencers was found guilty of sexual
assault. On the other hand, justice was served and a group of women who were
forced to go through unspeakable things received closure.
With this case, an actor and comedian who was previously thought to be
untouchable learned there would be legal consequences for his actions.
With this verdict, a message was sent to survivors across the nation: Justice,
even when the deck is stacked against you, even when you’ve been belittled,
discredited and ignored for years, is still possible. Emily Martin, general
counsel and vice president for education and workplace justice at the National
Women’s Law Center, state that with this decision, “There has been a change
in the world, and more people believe women’s stories today. More people
understand why the trauma of these events might lead to some period of time
passing before individuals are willing to stand up and say, ‘This happened to
me.’ And more people understand that individuals we like and admire have
the capacity to do terrible things.”
indecent assault against Andrea Constand. The court’s decision comes after
over eighteen years of accusations and allegations that spanned nearly five
decades. When I first heard of the news, I had a bittersweet feeling about it all.
On one hand, one of my biggest childhood influencers was found guilty of sexual
assault. On the other hand, justice was served and a group of women who were
forced to go through unspeakable things received closure.
With this case, an actor and comedian who was previously thought to be
untouchable learned there would be legal consequences for his actions.
With this verdict, a message was sent to survivors across the nation: Justice,
even when the deck is stacked against you, even when you’ve been belittled,
discredited and ignored for years, is still possible. Emily Martin, general
counsel and vice president for education and workplace justice at the National
Women’s Law Center, state that with this decision, “There has been a change
in the world, and more people believe women’s stories today. More people
understand why the trauma of these events might lead to some period of time
passing before individuals are willing to stand up and say, ‘This happened to
me.’ And more people understand that individuals we like and admire have
the capacity to do terrible things.”
Although this case does not mean that other men will face justice in the courtroom.
It does not mean that other women won’t be called liars or money-grubbing
opportunists when they seek justice. However, what this case does is give hope
and energy to survivors and activists who do the difficult and painful work of trying to
build a world where victims’ voices are valued instead of being written off.
It does not mean that other women won’t be called liars or money-grubbing
opportunists when they seek justice. However, what this case does is give hope
and energy to survivors and activists who do the difficult and painful work of trying to
build a world where victims’ voices are valued instead of being written off.
The story has left its focus on Mr Crosby and turned its attention to the victims.
These women deserve to be noted for their courage in risking public ridicule to come
forward and speak about their experiences. Hopefully, more women who have survived
sexual assault will continue to come forward. The assaulters need a rude awakening
that their actions will have serious repercussions, no matter how rich and powerful they are.
These women deserve to be noted for their courage in risking public ridicule to come
forward and speak about their experiences. Hopefully, more women who have survived
sexual assault will continue to come forward. The assaulters need a rude awakening
that their actions will have serious repercussions, no matter how rich and powerful they are.
Cosby is a controversial character. He most certainly should be punished for his crimes but his also did fantastic things for spreading confidence and pride in the black community. Creating a show where black stereotypes where specifically removes.
ReplyDeleteA great man in some regards and a terrible man in others.