9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 All I wanted was a much[br]deserved promotion, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and he told me to "get up on the desk 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and spread 'em." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 All the men in my office[br]wrote down on a piece of paper 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the sexual favors[br]that I could do for them. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 All I had asked for[br]was an office with a window. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I asked for his advice about how[br]I could get a bill out of committee; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he asked me be if I brought my kneepads. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Those are just a few[br]of the horrific stories 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that I heard from women over the last year 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as I've been investigating[br]workplace sexual harassment. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And what I found out 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is that it's an epidemic across the world. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's a horrifying reality[br]for millions of women 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when all they want to do[br]everyday is go to work. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Sexual harassment doesn't discriminate. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You can wear a skirt, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 hospital scrubs, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 army fatigues. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You can be you or old, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 married or single, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 black or white. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You can be a republican, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a democrate 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or an independent. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I heard from so many women: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 police officers, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 member of our military, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 financial assistants, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 actors, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 engineers, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 lawyers, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 bankers, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 accountants, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 teachers, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 journalists. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Sexual harassment, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it turns out, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is not about sex. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's about power, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and about what somebody does to you 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to try and take away your power. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I'm here today 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to encourage you to know[br]that you can take that power back. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Applause) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 On July 6, 2016, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I jumped off a cliff all by myself. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It was the scariest moment of my life, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 an excruciating choice to make. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I fell into an abyss all alone, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 not knowing what would be below. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But then something miraculous[br]started to happen. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Thousands of women[br]started reaching out to me 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to share their own stories[br]of pain and agony and shame. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They told me that I became their voice -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they were voiceless. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And suddenly I realized[br]that even in the 21st century, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 every woman still has a story. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Like Joyce, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a flight attendant supervisor 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 whose boss, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in meetings everyday, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 would tell her about the porn[br]that he'd watched the night before 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 while drawing penises on his notepad. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She went to complain; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 she was called "crazy" and fired. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Like Joanne, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Wall Street banker. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Her male colleagues would call her[br]that bile c-word every day. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 She complained -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 labeled a troublemaker, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 never to do another[br]Wall Street deal again. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Like Elizabeth, an army officer. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Her male subordinates would wave[br]one-dollar bills in her face, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and say, "dance for me." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And when she went to complain to a major, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he said, "What? Only one dollar? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You're worth at least five or ten!" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 After reading, replying to all, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and crying over all of these emails, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I realized I had so much work to do. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Here are the startling facts. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 One in three women that we know of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 have been sexually harassed[br]in the workplace. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 71 percent of those incidences[br]never get reported. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Why? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Because when women come forward, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they're still called liars[br]and troublemakers, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and demeaned and trashed, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and demoted and blacklisted, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and fired. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Reporting sexual harassment can be[br]in many cases career-ending. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Of all the women that reached out to me, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 almost none are still today working[br]in their chosen profession, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that is outrageous. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I too was silent in the beginning. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It happened to me at the end[br]of my year as Miss America, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when I was meeting with a very[br]high-ranking tv executive 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in New York City. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I thought he was helping me[br]throughout the day, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 making a lot of phone calls, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we went to dinner. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And in the back seat of a car, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he suddenly lunged on top of me 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and stuck his tongue down my throat. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I didn't realize[br]that to "get into the business," 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 silly me, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he also intended to get into my pants. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And just a week later, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when I was in Los Angeles, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 meeting with a high-ranking publicist, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it happened again. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Again, in a car. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And he took my neck in his hand, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and he shoved my head[br]so hard into his crotch, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I couldn't breathe. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 These are the events that suck the life[br]out of all of your self-condifence. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 These are the events that until recently, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I didn't even call assault. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And this is why we have[br]so much work to do. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 After my year as Miss America, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I continued to meet[br]a lot of well-known people ... 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 including Donald Trump. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 When this picture was taken in 1988, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 nobody could've predicted[br]where we'd be today. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Me, fighting to end sexual[br]harassment in the workplace; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he, president of the United States 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in spite of it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And shortly thereafter, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I got my first gig in television news[br]in Richmond, Virginia. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Check out that confident smile[br]with the bright pink jacket -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 not so much the hair. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was working so hard to prove[br]that blondes have a lot of brains. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But ironically, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 one of the first stories I covered 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 was the Anita Hill hearings[br]in Washington, DC. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And shortly thereafter, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I too was sexually harassed[br]in the workplace. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was covering a story in rural Virginia, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and when we got back in the car, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 my cameraman started saying to me, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 wondering how much I had enjoyed[br]how he touched my breasts 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when he put the microphone on me, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and it went downhill from there. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was bracing myself[br]against the passenger door -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 this was before cellphones. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was petrified. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I actually envisioned myself rolling[br]outside of that door 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as the car was going 50 miles per hour[br]like I'd seen in the movies, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and wondering how much it would hurt. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 When the story about[br]Harvey Weinstein came to light -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 one the most well known movie moguls[br]in all of Hollywood -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the allegations were horrific, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but so many women came forward, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and it made me realize[br]what I had done meant something. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Applause) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He had such a lame excuse. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He said he was a product[br]of the '60s and '70s, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that that was the culture then. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Yeah, that was the culture then, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and unfortunately it still is. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Why? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Because of all the myths 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that are still associated[br]with sexual harassment. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Women should just take another job[br]and find another career. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Yeah, right. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tell that to the single mom[br]working two jobs, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 trying to make ends meet, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who's also being sexually harassed. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Women, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they bring it on themselves. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 By the clothes that we wear 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the makeup that we put on. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Yeah, I guess those hoodies[br]that Google engineers wear 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in Silicon Valley are just so provocative. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "Women make it up." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Yeah, because it's so fun and rewarding 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to be demeaned and taken down. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I would know. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Women bring these claims[br]because they want to be famous and rich. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Our own president said that. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I bet Taylor Swift, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 one of the most well-known[br]and richest singers in the world, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 didn't need more money or fame 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when she came forward[br]with her groping case 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for one dollar. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I'm so glad she did. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Breaking news: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the untold story about women[br]and sexual harassment in the workplace. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Women just want a safe, welcoming 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and harassment-free environment. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 That's it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Applause) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So how do we go about[br]getting out power back? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I have three solutions. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Number one. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We need to turn bystanders[br]and enablers into allies. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 98 percent of United States [br]corporations right now 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 have sexual harassment training policies. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 70 percent have prevention programs. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But still, overwhelmingly, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 bystanders and witnesses[br]don't come forward. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In 2016, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the Harvard Business Review[br]called it the "Bystander Effect." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And yet, remember 9/11? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Millions of times we've heard, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 if you see something, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 say something. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Imagine how impactful that would be[br]if we carried that through 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to bystanders in the workplace[br]regarding sexual harassment. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 To recognize and interrupt[br]these incidences, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to confront the perpetrators[br]to their face, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to help and protect the victims. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This is my shoutout to men. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We need you in this fight. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And to women, too -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 enablers to allies. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Number two. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Change the laws. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 How many of you out there know 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 whether or not you have a forced[br]arbirtration clause 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in your employment contract? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Not a lot of hands. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And if you don't know, you should. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And here's why. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "Time" magazine calls it, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 right there on the screen: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "The teeny tiny little print in contracts 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that keeps sexual[br]harassment claims unheard." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Here's what it is. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Forced arbitration takes away[br]your seventh amendment right 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to an open jury process. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's secret. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You don't get the same[br]witnesses or depositions. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In many cases, the company[br]picks the arbitrator for you. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 There are no appeals, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and only 20 percent of the time[br]does the employee win. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But again, it's secret, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 so nobody ever knows what happened to you. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This is why I've been working[br]so dilgently on Capital Hill 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and Washington DC to change the laws, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and here's what I tell the senators. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Sexual harassment is apolitical. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Before somebody harasses you, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they don't ask you if you're[br]a republican or democrat first. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They just do it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And this is why we should all care. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Number three. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Be fierce. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It starts when we stand tall 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we build that self-confidence. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And we stand up and we speak up, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we tell the world what happened to us. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I know it's scary, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but let's do it for our kids. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Let's stop this for the next generations. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I know that I did it for my children. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They were paramount in my decision-making 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 about whether or not I would come forward. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 My beautiful children, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 my 12-year-old son, Christian, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 my 14-year-old daughter, Kya. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And boy did I underestimate them. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The first day of school last year[br]happened to be 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the day my resolution was announced, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and I was so anxious[br]about what they would face. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And my daughter came home from school, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and she said, "Mommy, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 so many people asked me[br]what happened to you over the summer." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And she looked at me in the eyes, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and she said, "And mommy, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I was so proud to say[br]that you were my mom." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And two weeks later, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when she finally found the courage[br]to stand up to two kids 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who had been making her life miserable, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 she came home to me and she said, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "Mommy, I found the courage to do it 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because I saw you do it." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Applause) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You see, giving the gift[br]of courage is contagious. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I hope that my journey[br]has inspired you, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because right now is the tipping point. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We are watching history happen. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 More and more women are coming forward 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and saying, "Enough and is enough." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Applause) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Here's my one last plea to companies. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Let's hire back all those women[br]whose careers were lost 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because of some random jerk. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Because here's what I know about women. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We will not longer be underestimated,[br]intimidated or set back. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We will not be silenced[br]by the ways of the establishment 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or the relics of the past. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 No. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We will stand up and speak up 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and have our voices heard. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We will be the women we were meant to be, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and above all, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we will always be fierce. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Thank you. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Applause)