Tarana Burke

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.