The triumph of E. Jean Carroll starts with her disclosures—here was this woman from the self-described “silent generation” ripping off the gag. She embodied what #MeToo was actually about: not a woman taking down a powerful man, but a woman freeing herself. And in E. Jean’s case, it just so happens, freeing millions more alongside her.
We like to count women’s days and then count them out. That’s impossible to do with E. Jean. Her moves are undeniably heroic. And while we should all bow in gratitude to her for adding her name to the long list of women who have sacrificed themselves by telling their stories out loud in the hopes that one day we will end the harassment, the violence, the deafening silence—this was not her job.
Her only job was to survive. So as we honor her, let’s also think about how to say thank you by making the country safer.
Burke is the founder of the MeToo movement