Tarana Burke

Tarana Burke is a leader from New York.

She wants to help people. Long ago, she started a group called Me Too. It helps people who have been hurt.

She also made a group for young girls. This group helps them feel well. Tarana works to make things fair for all.

Many people now know her work. She even won a big prize from Time magazine. She is a very brave person.

Tarana Burke is an activist from New York City.

She started the Me Too movement. She began this work in 2006. It was a program for students in school. She wanted to help people facing sexual abuse. Later, the movement grew very large. In 2017, a hashtag called #MeToo went viral. This helped people share their stories around the world.

Tarana has worked hard for many years. In 2003, she started a group called Just Be Inc. This group helps young Black girls. She also worked at a group called Girls for Gender Equity. She helps women of color grow and learn.

Tarana has won many honors. Time magazine named her Person of the Year in 2017. They called her a "silence breaker." She also wrote two books. One book is called Unbound. It tells the story of her life and her work. She continues to speak at many big events. She wants to make the world a better place.

Tarana Burke is a famous activist from New York City.

She is well known for starting the Me Too movement. This movement helps people talk about sexual abuse and harassment. Her work focuses on making sure people feel safe and heard. She wants to help change how society treats these hard issues. Many people now know her name because of her brave work.

Burke began her work in a very specific way. In 2006, she started Me Too as a program for students. It was made for kids in junior and high school. She wanted to address violence in their own communities. Later, the movement grew much larger and went global. In 2017, a hashtag called #MeToo became very popular online. An actress named Alyssa Milano helped the hashtag go viral. This happened after news about Harvey Weinstein came out.

Tarana's journey as a leader started a long time ago. She was born on September 12, 1973, in The Bronx. As a young girl, she joined a group for youth leadership. She went to Alabama State University and Auburn University at Montgomery. While in college, she led protests for racial justice. In the late 1990s, she moved to Selma, Alabama. There, she worked closely with survivors of sexual violence. She also started a group for Black girls in 2003.

She has achieved many big things in her career.

In 2017, Time magazine named her Person of the Year. They called her one of the "silence breakers." She also founded me too. International in 2018 to help the movement grow. Burke has written two books that became best sellers. One is called "Unbound," which tells her own life story. She has also won the Ridenhour Prize for Courage.

Her work connects to many important ideas in our world. She has fought for racial justice and housing equality. She also works for economic justice for all people. Burke served as a senior director at Girls for Gender Equity. This group helps women of color develop through special classes. Her life shows how one person can start a big change. She continues to speak at many public events today. Her story helps others find the strength to speak up.

Tarana Burke is an American activist from New York City. She is the founder of the Me Too movement. This movement focuses on addressing sexual violence and harassment in society. Her work aims to provide support and awareness for survivors of abuse. By creating spaces for people to share their stories, she helps address the pervasiveness of these issues. Her leadership has helped transform a local program into an international phenomenon.

Burke’s specific approach began with a focus on youth. In 2006, she founded Me Too as a program for junior and high school students. The goal was to address sexual violence within their own communities. She used the phrase "Me Too" to show survivors they were not alone. This method relied on empathy and connection to build awareness. Later, the movement expanded significantly through digital platforms and global communication.

In 2017, the movement reached a new stage through social media. Following allegations against Harvey Weinstein, actress Alyssa Milano used the hashtag #MeToo. She encouraged women to tweet the words if they had experienced abuse or harassment. This caused the hashtag to go viral across the world. Milano acknowledged that Burke had created the original movement years earlier. This connection helped link the digital hashtag to Burke's foundational work of survivor support.

Burke’s career in activism began very early in her life. She was born on September 12, 1973, in The Bronx, New York. In the late 1980s, she joined the 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement. She later attended Alabama State University, which is a historically Black institution. She also attended Auburn University at Montgomery. While in college, she organized protests and press conferences regarding racial justice. These early experiences shaped her focus on social equality.

After college, Burke moved to Selma, Alabama, in the late 1990s. While working with survivors, she realized young girls needed specific types of attention. In 2003, she created a nonprofit called Just Be Inc. This organization provided programs for Black girls aged 12 to 18. The group focused on the wellness of young female minorities. In 2008, she moved to Philadelphia to work with other nonprofits like Art Sanctuary Philadelphia. She also served as a senior director at Girls for Gender Equity in Brooklyn.

Her impact has been recognized by many major organizations. In 2017, Time magazine named her Time Person of the Year. They included her in a group called "the silence breakers." In 2018, she founded me too. International to act as a container for the growing movement. She serves as its Chief Vision Officer. Burke has also received the Ridenhour Prize for Courage in 2018. She was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2018 by Time. In 2022, she was included in the BBC 100 Women list.

Burke is also a successful author and public speaker. She has published two books that became New York Times Best Sellers. The first is "You Are Your Best Thing," co-authored with Brené Brown in 2021. The second is her memoir, "Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement," published in September 2021. In this memoir, she connects her activism to the history of the civil rights movement. She remains a frequent speaker at universities and public events.

Her work connects to many different areas of social justice. She has led initiatives regarding racial discrimination and housing inequality. She also works toward the goal of economic justice. In 2014, she served as a consultant for the film Selma. This movie is about the 1965 voting rights marches led by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. Through her many roles, Burke links the fight against sexual violence to broader struggles for human rights and equality.