by Keka Araújo
July 23, 2025
The genesis of the “Me Too” Motion traces again to the 90s.
Tarana Burke, a formidable activist, neighborhood organizer, and govt, has indelibly formed the discourse surrounding sexual violence and empowerment by means of her foundational work on the ‘Me Too’ Motion. Her resonant hashtag, #meToo, has transcended digital platforms, registering greater than 19 million makes use of on Twitter alone since its viral resurgence in 2017.
The motion’s widespread influence earned Burke and different “Silence Breakers” the celebrated distinction of TIME Journal’s Particular person of the 12 months in 2017.
Born on Sept. 12, 1973, in The Bronx, New York, Burke’s dedication to activism and neighborhood organizing blossomed early. Within the late Nineteen Eighties, as a young person, she immersed herself within the twenty first Century Youth Management Motion, spearheading campaigns and initiatives addressing important points similar to housing inequality, racial discrimination, and financial injustice throughout New York Metropolis. This early fervor propelled her to Alabama State College, a traditionally Black school or college (HBCU), the place she honed her organizational acumen and continued her advocacy all through her collegiate profession.
After graduating, she returned to Selma, Alabama, to work with twenty first Century, the place she encountered quite a few younger Black ladies who have been survivors of sexual violence and abuse. As a survivor herself, Burke deeply recognized with their experiences, pivoting her efforts towards offering essential sources, assist, and protected areas for these younger ladies to share their narratives.
The genesis of the “Me Too” Motion traces again to the 90s, when Burke, then a youth camp director, had a pivotal encounter with a younger girl disclosing sexual abuse. Although unable to supply a direct, complete response, this second turned the profound catalyst for the motion she would formally set up a decade later. Persevering with her concentrate on younger ladies of shade, Burke co-founded Jendayi Aza, an African-centered Rites of Passage program for ladies, which subsequently advanced into her nonprofit group, JustBe, Inc., based in 2007. This group was designed to empower and encourage younger Black ladies by means of distinctive programming and workshops, attaining such vital neighborhood influence that each public faculty in Selma, Alabama, adopted its program.
Shortly thereafter, the “Me Too” Motion was formally born, conceived as a mechanism for younger ladies of shade to articulate their experiences, with Burke using the phrase ‘me too’ to foster “empowerment by means of empathy.” Her marketing campaign aimed not solely to facilitate therapeutic but in addition to coach survivors to turn into leaders inside their communities.
Whereas creating “Me Too,” Burke maintained an lively presence within the nonprofit sector. Her roles included managing director of Artwork Sanctuary, a Black arts group in Philadelphia, and govt director of the Black Belt Cultural Arts Heart, the place she developed neighborhood packages for underserved youth.
In Selma, she served as a curatorial guide and particular tasks director on the Nationwide Voting Rights Museum & Institute, the place she notably contributed to the group of the annual Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, commemorating the historic Selma Voting Rights Motion. Her intensive work earned her a consulting place on Ava DuVernay’s acclaimed movie, Selma, in 2014.
Years later, Burke’s work gained unprecedented world prominence in the course of the 2017 Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal, when her hashtag #metoo quickly went viral, inspiring people worldwide to share their tales and align with the motion.
Following this surge of worldwide assist, Burke emerged as a pivotal world chief, igniting a broader dialog about sexual violence. Her steadfast dedication to racial justice, arts and tradition, anti-violence, and gender fairness has been an indicator of her practically three-decade profession. She persistently makes use of her platform to convey that therapeutic is attainable, that survivors are inherent leaders, and that eradicating sexual violence have to be a paramount social justice crucial.
In 2018, Burke based “Me Too.” Worldwide, a worldwide nonprofit devoted to advancing the motion’s imaginative and prescient and framework, serving as a convener, innovator, and organizer throughout mainstream and grassroots spheres to dismantle techniques that perpetuate sexual violence, notably inside Black, queer, trans, disabled, and all communities of shade.
Burke’s unwavering dedication has garnered quite a few accolades, together with her recognition as one in all USA Right this moment’s Ladies of the Decade in 2020 and the celebrated Sydney Peace Prize in 2019.
She additionally obtained the Harvard Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award. In 2018, she attended the seventy fifth Annual Golden Globe Awards as a visitor of actress Michelle Williams, additional amplifying the motion’s visibility. Burke is a frequent commentator on social points, along with her insights revealed in distinguished shops similar to Teen Vogue, Glamour, Ebony, Essence, and The Root, amongst others.
Most not too long ago, the writer of “Unbound” has continued her impactful work on a number of fronts. She weighed in on the high-profile Diddy trial, providing her perspective on Instagram.
Moreover, she not too long ago convened the # MeToo. World Community Pan-African gathering on the sun-kissed shores of Diani Seaside, Kenya, bringing collectively over three dozen organizations from 16 international locations.
“We’re nonetheless basking within the glow of what we created collectively final week. On the sun-kissed shores of Diani Seaside, Kenya, greater than three dozen organizations, representing 16 international locations throughout the continent, got here collectively for Me Too. World Community Pan-African convening: ‘What can we do collectively, that we are able to’t do aside?’”
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