Riverside, CA — Marine Corps veteran and long-time university adjunct professor, Dr. Shirley Ann Johnson, who stands in support of the worldwide call to action for the #MeToo Movement, seeks to include in the conversation another women’s issue. She has coined it “Us” Too – a movement which will focus on the mistreatment of African American women in the workplace.

“Some African American women may have been spared from the carnage of sexual harassment in the workplace, but many are being brutally assaulted by workforce discrimination,” she said. She went on to argue that “African American women who are courageous enough to speak up are either fired or become targets of ongoing harassment. Scores of women reported filing complaints to their Human Resources Department only to have their complaints fall on deaf ears. The discrimination continued.”

Statistically, millions of black women earn significantly less and receive far fewer opportunities than similarly qualified non-black candidates in the workplace. And to add insult to those injuries, many of these same African American women have to work in an environment where disparaging comments are directed toward them or where they endure other forms of unfair treatment on a daily basis. Dr. Johnson’s goal is to garner support to bring about much needed change.

The #MeToo Movement has shown how the careers of women are often diminished or destroyed by sexual harassment; the Us Too Movement wants to bring awareness to the brutality of discrimination – which threatens to destroy the very lives of the African American women who suffer it. “This is our story,” she said. “Include us in the movement because the time has come for ‘it’ to end.”

About Dr. Shirley Ann Johnson

Dr. Johnson is a native of Memphis, Tennessee but has lived in California for close to forty years. She is the mother of two adult children and grandmother of three. She is a concerned advocate for justice for all.