Tarana Burke

In August of 2017 several film actresses such as Asia Argento, Cate Blanchett, Rose McGowan, and many more came out and spoke of the sexual harassment/assault they were put through by well-known producer, Harvey Weinstein. As many more actresses and actors spoke out about the sexual assault they’ve experienced in the industry it inspired many survivors to speak out about their trauma surrounding sexual assault. Many people often cite this as the beginning of the social movement known as Me too or #metoo since that is when it gained so much traction by October of that year. But in reality it was started way before this, in 2006 with a mySpace post made by Tanara Burke, the founder of the Me Too movement. 

Tanara Burke (right) and actress Rose McGowan (left) who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein.

Tanara Burke was born in 1973 and raised in The Bronx, New York. Early in her childhood and in her teenage years she was experienced sexual violence which caused her intense trauma. Her mother supported Tanara in her recovery and urged her to get involved in activism. She developed a passion in the 80s after joining an organization for youth development. She later went on to attend Alabama State University where she could develop her skills as an activist. Tanara stayed involved with 21st century and met with many young girls in her community who has also experienced some from of sexual violence in their young lives, specifically women of color. Hearing their experiences and living her own made her truly consider what she can do to end the violence. 

Tanara Burke photographed for The Harvard Gazette

Before she founded me too, she co-founded an African-centered rites of passage program for teenage girls called Jendayi Aza. This would eventually develop into the foundation JustBe which offers encouragement and support for young black girls. But she still continued survivors during this, often using the phrase ‘me too’ as a form of empathy and understanding. To help them know they aren’t alone in this and that there is someone that does understand what they are going through. It’s the idea of “empowerment through empathy" as Tanara says. As she explains in her ted talk here, In 2006 she was sitting in her one bedroom apartment in New York frustrated with how many people go through sexual assault and what she could do to help, she grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down ‘me too’ and formulated a plan of action. Later posting info about it on myspace, the me too movement was born. 

Tanara Burke and actress Michelle Williams at the 75th annual Golden Globe awards dressed in black to show solidarity with sexual assault survivors.  

The Movement as I said before would have a huge impact on the film industry and the whole world. Tanara has been recognized for her work various times from attending the 75th annual Golden globe awards with award winning actress Michelle Williams, receiving the Sydney Peace Prize, and being among ‘the silence breakers’ as TIME Magazine’s person of the year. She currently works as senior director of girls for gender equity in New York. Without Tanara Burke's influence I believe some survivors of assault struggle to see that they aren't alone and how brave they truly are. I think Tanara describes it best in her ted talk “...What we are experiencing around the globe now is collective trauma, but it is also the first step towards actively building a world that we want right now. What we do with this thing that we’re all holding is the evidence that this is bigger than a moment. It is the confirmation that we are in a movement.”

Citations:

• Anderson, Monica, and Skye Toor. “How Social Media Users Have Discussed Sexual Harassment since #MeToo Went Viral.” Pew Research Center. October 11, 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/11/how-social-media-users-have-discussed-sexual-harassment-since-metoo-went-viral/.

• Alexander, Kerri Lee. “Tarana Burke.” National Women’s History Museum, 2020. Date accessed.Chicago – Alexander, Kerri Lee. “Tarana Burke” National Women’s History Museum. 2020. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/tarana-burke.