To the perpetrators of sexual harassment, to those who continue to oppress women in today’s society, your time is up. To the women who have stood in silence for too long, too afraid to come forward, your time is here.

First, it was suffrage. Then the second wave hit, and it wasn’t just about legal representation; it was about equality, reproductive rights and women’s place in society. The third hit in the 1990s, ending in 2012. Now, it is all that, and more.

The fight for equality, the fight for a woman’s choice about her own body, the fight for a woman’s place in the workforce is still prevalent today. Now, a fourth wave is on the horizon, and it will be a long time before it breaks.

On Jan. 8, the women and men of Hollywood wore black to the Golden Globes to rein in a new era, and the time for the old era is up. According to the Time’s Up Now website, “TIME’S UP addresses the systemic inequality and injustice in the workplace that has kept underrepresented groups from reaching their full potential.”

The Time’s Up movement is not simply an extension of the #metoo movement.

“I think the goal of the Time’s Up movement is to convey that the time for people, men in particular, who commit acts of sexual assault as a way of gaining power and manipulating others’ careers is done,” said AP US History teacher, Kristin Cowles. “Hopefully this movement will lead to a time where women are judged on their abilities, and not promoted based on whether or not they gave into the sexual advances of the person in power ahead of them.”

#Metoo enlightened individuals about the prevalence of sexual harassment as a current social issue. The Time’s Up movement seeks to take that movement and amplify the voices of the abused—to make sure our society does something about this issue.  Backed by over 14 million dollars and Hollywood film, television and media stars, the Time’s Up movement allows those sexually harassed while working low-income jobs to have access to lawyers and other law enforcement services.

“Sexual harassment is pervasive across industries, but especially in low-wage service jobs. For example, more than 25% of sexual harassment charges filed with the EEOC in the last decade came from industries with service-sector workers” (source: americanprogress.org).

The sand in the hour-glass can no longer rest complacently on one side. The time to take action, not only on the issue of sexual harassment but also on the issue of gender equality, is now. In order for a woman to feel empowered and heard by society, in order for her to stand up and say that the time for her story is now, she needs to feel that her she has the power to do so.

“Nearly 50% of men think women are well-represented in leadership in companies where only one in ten senior leaders is a woman”  (Source: https://womenintheworkplace.com).

Gender inequality can only be addressed by promoting women in the workplace, in the government and in all industries.

This movement isn’t just in the United States—the goal is to support women worldwide. The time to empower women and allow them to be leaders is here. The time is now. The time for repression and silencing women is up. The time for change is now.

“When I teach about feminism I think it’s important to see yourself reflected in the information that you learn, whether it’s in the media or in the textbook or in the classroom,” said Cowles. “It’s hopeful to see that a regular person can make a difference. And when you see someone who looks like you, is the same gender as you, or the same sexual orientation as you, make contributions to America, it instills the thinking that ‘I am part of the American fabric and who we define as American.’”

As Oprah Winfrey said during her speech at the Golden Globes, “For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of… men. But their time is up. Their time is up. And when [a] new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women…and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say “Me too” again.”

Times Up isn’t just about speaking out and speaking up; it’s about standing up and making waves.