#MeToo's Founder Tarana Burke

#MeToo's Founder Tarana Burke

This article relates to His Favorites

While Kate Walbert's His Favorites takes place in the late 1970s, the novel's initial release in August 2018 was perfectly aligned to contemporary events, as stories about men in positions of power sexually harassing and assaulting women were breaking on a near daily basis. Certainly this was not a new phenomenon, and while the #MeToo movement gained traction in response to these abuses of power beginning in 2017, this powerful two-word phrase was actually conceived in 2006 by an activist named Tarana Burke who has devoted her life to empowering African-American girls and women, particularly those who have suffered sexual abuse.

Burke traces the phrase back to an incident that occurred while she was a counselor at a youth camp. A young teen, who Burke calls "Heaven," approached her and described incidents of sexual abuse she had suffered. Though she was also a survivor, Burke felt ill-equipped to help Heaven and sent her to another counselor. She was later wracked with guilt, asking herself, "Why couldn't you just say 'me too?'" Out of this experience, Burke began building a movement that started with a MySpace page in 2006. Her goal was to help women and girls, primarily those of color, who were dealing with trauma after sexual abuse. She then founded a nonprofit, Just Be Inc. focused on improving the overall health and wellness of African-American young women.

Understandably, Burke had reservations and concerns that the #MeToo movement she began would be co-opted and overshadowed by the high profile women who began disseminating the hashtag on Twitter, partially in response to the accusations of assault and predatory behavior by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. However, she has also expressed pride and support for anyone choosing to use the phrase, tweeting, "It made my heart swell to see women using this idea, one that we call 'empowerment through empathy' to not only show the world how widespread and pervasive sexual violence is, but also to let other survivors know they are not alone #metoo."

In April 2018, Tarana Burke visited Michigan State University, the former employer of Larry Nassar, the doctor convicted of sexually assaulting a staggering number of elite gymnasts entrusted in his care. Several of the gymnasts, including members of the 2012 and 2016 Olympic teams, used the hashtag #MeToo when publicly coming forward with allegations against Nassar. Like Kate Walbert's character Jo Hadley, these young women were teenagers when they were abused by a predator who had been placed in a position of authority over them.

Burke now serves as senior director for Girls for Gender Equity, a nonprofit focused on educating girls and women and preparing them for roles in leadership, activism, and advocacy. She is also writing a memoir, titled Where the Light Enters: The Founding of the 'Me Too' Movement that is slated for a 2019 release by Simon & Schuster. On October 15, 2018, Burke announced plans to mark the one year anniversary of #MeToo, including the launch of a new website and a program designed to help educate Hollywood writers on how to sensitively portray sexual violence on screen.

Tarana Burke

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This "beyond the book article" relates to His Favorites. It originally ran in October 2018 and has been updated for the June 2019 paperback edition. Go to magazine.

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