Rick spoke out against sexual assault and harassment that was derived from the Nashville PR mogul. He accused Kirt Webster, the president and CEO of Webster & Associates Public Relations, for “coercing him into performing sexual acts.” At the time, Rick was a rising country singer-songwriter, so he was afraid of retaliation from Webster, so this fall, he broke his silence via social media (Facebook) about the abuses he had suffered.
Most recently, Rick was nominated for Taste of Country’s “Brave Hero” award, and rightfully so. This was a humbling honor for Rick, who explained that he does not consider himself a hero, since everything he said was his own story and experience. As part of the #MeToo Movement, he decided to open up, since he felt it was “the right thing to do.”
Ever since, Rick set a precedent and many other former employees and interns who worked for Webster at the time, opened up to the media and the press about their own experiences of workplace harassment, torment and abuse. According to The Tennessean, that number rose up to 22 individuals that were associated by Webster PR.
This year, The Silence Breakers were named “Person of the Year” by Time Magazine.
To learn more about Austin Rick’s GoFundMe campaign, visit its official website.
