UltraViolet is a women's advocacy group based in the United States. The group conducts online campaigns using

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

to highlight women's issues such as

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence (GBV) or sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), violent, violence primarily committed by Man, men or boys against woman, women or girls. Such violence is often considered hat ...

maternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity leave ...

, equal pay, and

reproductive rights Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to human reproduction, reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights: Reproductive rights ...

. Their mission statement is to "fight sexism and create a more inclusive world that accurately represents all women".

Foundation

UltraViolet was co-founded in February 2012 by Nita Chaudhary and Shaunna Thomas. The name is associated with purple, a color used symbolically in the struggle for

women's suffrage in the United States Women's suffrage, or the right of women to vote, was established in the United States over the course of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, first in various U.S. states, states and localities, then nationally in 1920 with the ratification ...

LGBT social movements Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBTQ people in society. Although there is not a primary or an overarching central organization that represents all LGBTQ people and their ...

, and

second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades, ending with the feminist sex wars in the early 1980s and being replaced by third-wave feminism in the early 1990s. It occurred ...

. Co-founder Chaudhary adds that " UltraViolet lights are sort of the most powerful rays on the spectrum and they expose things that people don't want to see, and our mission is to expose things people are uncomfortable confronting, especially with respect to

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

." Within two months of its foundation, UltraViolet had 300,000 members.

Campaigns

UltraViolet has conducted over 30 online campaigns for women's rights. They have also organized protests and phone lobbying. They also sponsor campaigns in newspapers.

Susan G. Komen Foundation

In February 2012 the Susan G. Komen Foundation decided to stop funding for breast cancer screenings at

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

. UltraViolet, which had been scheduled to debut in the summer, spearheaded a campaign against Komen with the assistance of MoveOn.org and CREDO SuperPac. They collected nearly one million signatures on a petition that was delivered to the foundation. The foundation reversed its decision and reinstated Planned Parenthood's funding within a week of receiving the petition. General understanding is that Susan G. Komen Foundation stopped funding Planned Parenthood because Planned Parenthood performed abortions, not for breast cancer screenings, but was pressured into resuming funding because of UltraViolet's intervention. Following their victory, UltraViolet campaigned for the resignation of

Karen Handel Karen Christine Handel (maiden name, née Walker; born April 18, 1962) is an American businesswoman and former politician. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Handel served as chair of the Fulton County, Georgia, F ...

, the Komen Foundation vice president that orchestrated the effort to defund Planned Parenthood. Handel resigned shortly after.

R. Kelly

UltraViolet has made many strides in overcoming sexism through their words and actions. One of these strides include being part of the influence that made Sony decide to cut ties with R. Kelly due to allegations of sexual abuse of minors, by using the hashtag #MuteRKelly.

Rick Ross

UltraViolet led a campaign to get Reebok to end their relationship with rapper

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...

after he rapped about date raping a woman in his song " U.O.E.N.O.".

NFL domestic abuse

In 2014, following several incidents of domestic abuse by NFL players, UltraViolet called for the resignation of NFL commissioner

Roger Goodell Roger Stokoe Goodell (born February 19, 1959) is an American businessman who has served as the National Football League Commissioner, commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) since 2006. Goodell began his NFL career in 1982 as an admi ...

. The group flew aerial banners over three NFL stadiums with the message "#GoodellMustGo".

Airport billboards

In 2014 UltraViolet placed messages on billboards near airports in North Carolina, Texas, Louisiana and Ohio. The billboards were critical of state policies towards women.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 2012 establishments in the United States Online petitions Women's rights organizations based in the United States Internet properties established in 2012 Internet-based activism American political websites Political organizations based in the United States