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 Yr 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 crucial points akin to housing inequality, racial discrimination, and financial injustice throughout New York Metropolis. This early fervor propelled her to Alabama State College, a traditionally Black faculty 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 girls who had been survivors of sexual violence and abuse. As a survivor herself, Burke deeply recognized with their experiences, pivoting her efforts towards offering essential assets, assist, and secure areas for these younger girls 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 an instantaneous, complete response, this second turned the profound catalyst for the motion she would formally set up a decade later. Persevering with her deal with younger girls of shade, Burke co-founded Jendayi Aza, an African-centered Rites of Passage program for women, which subsequently advanced into her nonprofit group, JustBe, Inc., based in 2007. This group was designed to empower and encourage younger Black women by means of distinctive programming and workshops, attaining such important 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 girls 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 develop into leaders inside their communities.
Whereas growing “Me Too,” Burke maintained an energetic 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 marketing consultant 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 world 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 should be a paramount social justice crucial.
In 2018, Burke based “Me Too.” Worldwide, a world 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 programs 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 certainly one of USA At this time’s Ladies of the Decade in 2020 and the celebrated Sydney Peace Prize in 2019.
She additionally acquired 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 printed in distinguished shops akin to Teen Vogue, Glamour, Ebony, Essence, and The Root, amongst others.
Most just lately, the creator 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 just lately convened the # MeToo. International Community Pan-African gathering on the sun-kissed shores of Diani Seaside, Kenya, bringing collectively over three dozen organizations from 16 nations.
“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 nations throughout the continent, got here collectively for Me Too. International Community Pan-African convening: ‘What can we do collectively, that we are able to’t do aside?’”
“We gathered as survivors, organizers, advocates, artists, and healers — every carrying tales, knowledge, and a shared dream of a world free from sexual and gender-based violence. Over a number of highly effective days, we engaged in deep strategizing, sincere dialogue, collective visioning, and intentional wellness practices that nourished each our spirits and our motion. Collectively, we constructed belief, connection, and a deep, rooted sense of solidarity. Thanks to each attendee, each member of our International Community, and each single one that made this convening so particular,” Burke shared, reflecting on the highly effective convening targeted on collective motion and intentional wellness.
Burke at present serves because the senior director of Women for Gender Fairness in Brooklyn, New York, and resides in New York Metropolis along with her daughter.
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