Tarana Burke Founder Of The #Me Too Movement

I had never bothered to research the origins of #Me Too and what I found was quite surprising. I had mistakenly assumed it was an all white female middle class thing. The founder began her project some years ago as a small community based effort working with poor young black women who were victims of sexual abuse. By the time the world tuned in the issue had been already appropriated into a mass media juggernaut glittering with accusations of all manner of sexual assault by female celebs who had been victimized and exploited by powerful male media and film executives. Burke is aware that the story will lose its gloss and will no longer sell copy. She continues to think long term and she is making the necessary efforts to fundraise now before the big media chill sets in. That does not mean that things have not been irreversably altered in the gender equality debate it just means that for most low income women their options at defending their rights will continue to be seriously challenged on the job where they few have alternatives.

 Tarana Burke ‘was born September 12, 1973 in The Bronx, New York. Her childhood was difficult. She grew up in a low-income, working-class family in a housing project and was raped and sexually assaulted both as a child and a teenager. Her mother supported her recovery from these violent acts and encouraged her to be involved in the community. These experiences inspired her life-long passion to improve the lives of girls who undergo extreme hardships. Her daughter, Kaia Burke, was born in Selma, Alabama in 1998 and Tarana raised her as a single mother. Tarana Burke is currently writing a memoir, Here the Light Enters: The Founding of the ‘Me Too.’ Movement, to be released by Simon & Schuster imprint Ink 37 in 2019.