Tarana Burke

Tarana Burke is a pioneering American activist, author, and organizer, born on September 12, 1973, in The Bronx, New York. Raised in a low-income housing project, she experienced sexual violence in her youth and was supported by her mother in turning that trauma into activism. From the late 1980s onward, she engaged in community organizing with youth-focused groups, later co‑founding Just Be, Inc., providing support to marginalized girls, especially Black and brown girls aged 12–18 Tarana Burke+15+15+15.

In 2006, Burke coined the phrase “Me Too” as part of her grassroots healing work, aiming to build empathy and connection among survivors of sexual violence. What began as quiet community outreach transformed into a global movement in 2017, when the hashtag #MeToo went viral after allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Despite initial fear that her message might be co-opted, she reaffirmed its power to nurture healing and solidarity across communities +9+9Encyclopedia Britannica+9. Her memoir Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement (2021) reflects on her journey from community organizing to global advocacy +12Factsnippet+12Glamour+12.

Burke has shared numerous powerful reflections that capture her work’s ethos. She asserts: “Me Too was just two words; it’s two magic words that galvanized the world.” BrainyQuote Another insight highlights her mission: “This movement is about making sure survivors have the resources to heal AFTER they’ve said #metoo… galvanizing a global community of survivors and advocates to do the work of interrupting sexual violence.” And she reminds us: “Survivors are not defined by what happened to them, but by what they do with their pain.” Bookey

Let me know if you’d like more about her speaking engagements, organizational leadership, or other motifs in her writing and activism!