Dozens of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell gathered at a Capitol Hill news conference in September, demanding full transparency and the release of the Epstein files. For the first time, major media outlets such as NBC and ABC broadcast their testimony live, marking what advocates described as a breakthrough in public willingness to listen to the women most affected by Epstein's crimes.
Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, said she felt the tide might be turning as she watched the conference online. Many survivors referenced #MeToo as giving them the courage to speak out, noting that the power of women coming forward in numbers helped them overcome years of being silenced and dismissed.
Lisa Phillips, a podcast host and Epstein survivor, said: 'I have come to understand that the only way to break powerful people down is for survivors to band together and speak. When survivors come together, and when we get powerful people behind us, something shifts. We are not scared any more. We took our power back. And we are not done.'
Burke created the #MeToo movement in 2006 to support young Black survivors of sexual violence. The movement went viral in 2017 after allegations against Harvey Weinstein emerged, revealing the scale of sexual violence as a global public health crisis. In the years since, nearly two dozen US states and Washington DC passed more than 70 workplace anti-harassment bills.
While the Epstein files have long made headlines for the powerful men named in them, including Donald Trump, the survivors' news conference shifted focus to the victims themselves. Advocates say the solidarity of #MeToo continues to empower survivors to speak out against other powerful figures.
