Staff Writer
The first high-profile conviction since the #MeToo movement put an international spotlight on women’s stories of abuse. Bill Cosby, comedian, creator and star of many long lasting television shows, started his career in Stand-Up Comedy in the 1960s before creating his own sitcom, The Bill Cosby Show in 1969. Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. In 2015 New York Magazine published an issue with 35 of the 46 accusers of Cosby, giving those victims a platform to tell their stories. These incidents happened between 1965 and 2008
Bill Cosby was one of America's greatest comedians, so when these victims stories came forward in the mid 2010’s, not only was it surprising because it was a sexual abuse scandal, but in this case the abuser was often nicknamed “America's dad.” Cosby has been affiliated with Temple University decades, he served on the board of trustees before resigning in 2014. In 1991 Temple University awarded Cosby an honorary doctorate, but they have finally decided to strip him of that title.
Cosby's first trial in June of 2017 ended in a mistrial, the latest trial in Norristown, Pa., took place on Sept. 24, 2018. “Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it. He robbed me of my health and vitality, my open nature, and my trust in myself and others,” Constand commented about the incident. Constand was the only accuser that came forward and pressured any kind of charges towards Cosby. In this new age of the #MeToo movement created by, Tarana Burke, this is a small step towards justice for all victims of sexual assault.
