Illustration: Yenwei Liu/HuffPost; Photo: courtesy of Liz Murray and Kutina Ruhumbika
For veteran restaurant workers Elizabeth Meltz, Erin Fairbanks and Liz Murray, the Me Too movement sparked a desire to start talking openly about issues affecting women working in the hospitality industry.
In 2017, the trio invited their peers to discuss issues from mental health and lack of mentorship to wage equity and safe workplaces. Those conversations led to a more formal organization, Women in Hospitality United, an advocacy group that includes Murray (the director of human resources for culinary agency The Marlow Collective) and restaurant executive Kutina Ruhumbika on its board of directors.