At this week’s Rose Café, we met with Professor Angela Cornell, a suitably named law professor who teaches at Cornell, and we discussed the evolution of societal responses to sexual harassment. More specifically, we focused on the walkouts from Google in response to an accumulating series of issues. For example, a high-level employee with credible accusations of sexual harassment against him had received a $90 million severance package, and the company forced sexual harassment complaints to be internally arbitrated instead of brought to a court.

This was really informative because it taught me the power of collective action. A massive group of Google employees across multiple countries, with only a small amount of coordination, was able to plan an effective protest that made a significant difference not just in Google, but all throughout the private sector. In response to the walkouts, Google officially ended its policy of mandatory arbitration for all complaints,  and many other corporations ended their mandatory arbitration of sexual harassment complaints. This shows me that, by working with other like-minded individuals towards a common goal, we can become a powerful and influential group. Together, we can make a difference in the world, and leave it better than how we found it.