12 Money Talks . . . Misogynists Walk A Complex Conversation on Sexual Harassment, Race, and Equal Pay Leah Hollis In 2018, the Philadelphia Pennsylvania community and the world wit- nessed the retrial of America’s Dad – Bill Cosby. His first trial, in 2016 for sexual assault, resulted in a mistrial, although over 60 women came forward accusing Cosby of sexual assault, stretching back into the 1960s (Roig-Franzia, 2018). However, in early 2018, the “#MeToo” move- ment was well under way; the jury swung against this entertainment icon with a guilty verdict. By the fall of 2018, the 81-year-old Cosby was sen- tenced to 3–10 years in prison without bail (Roig-Franzia, 2018). Many Americans grew up watching The Cosby Show. Youngsters in the 1970s relished Saturday morning memories of the Fat Albert cartoon. On a noteworthy historical note, he funded the March on Washington in 1963 with Martin Luther King, Jr. Cosby had a phenomenal footprint and yet, in his prominence, people knew of his exploits and said nothing. His predatory behavior with women was an open secret, yet only in the twi- light of his life is he held accountable with the strength of the #Me Too Movement (Day, 2017). This watershed moment of “#Me Too” is long overdue. The public is collectively witnessing what several have known for years about the fre- quent predatory experience that some women endure in any employment sector. Within this movement, some women find the one-two punch with a financial inequity in pay: The first punch is the harassment; the second punch is the financial inability to finance a legal battle. Through research on workplace bullying in higher education, this researcher receives sev- eral emails and calls from academics, mostly women, asking how to fight bullies and harassers. In the last semester, questions came from Arizona, Texas, New York, California, and Wisconsin. Eventually, someone con- siders “how” to fight. Strategies are contemplated; colleagues are gathered for support and advice. Government agencies such as state-level human rights organizations and federal equal opportunity institutions present some options, yet those investigations are protracted and cumbersome. Further, even for the Equal Opportunity Commission (United States), the Office of Civil Rights (United States), and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (United Kingdom), a potential complainant must Wadley, J. C. (Ed.). (2019). Handbook of sexuality leadership : Inspiring community engagement, social empowerment, and transformational influence. Taylor & Francis Group. Created from rutgers-ebooks on 2022-08-29 00:49:18. Copyright © 2019. Taylor & Francis Group. All rights reserved.