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Tarana Burke is an American civil rights activist. She is known for being the first to use the phrase "Me Too", in 2006, to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and assault in society. The phrase has since developed into a broader movement. Time named Burke, among a group of other prominent female activists dubbed "the silence breakers", as the Time Person of the Year for 2017. She is currently Senior Director at Girls for Gender Equity.

Biography
Burke was born and raised in The Bronx, New York. As a teenager, she became involved in working to improve the lives of young girls living in marginalized communities. At age 14, Burke joined the 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement, whose purpose is to create grassroots community organizers. One of the first activities Burke organized through this movement was a protest against Donald Trump for accusations he made in all four of New York City's major newspapers. Tarana went to college at Alabama State University then transferred to Auburn University. While attending Auburn University, she was labeled as a 'campus organizer' in a campus paper when describing her involvement in speaking against the annual Dixie Festival in which students would dress up in antebellum clothing and celebrate the Confederacy.

After graduating college, she moved to Selma, Alabama where she continued doing youth work through the Selma chapter of 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement. It was during this period that she realized that young girls needed "different attention" than their male peers. She developed an African-centered all-girls program titled "Just Be". The "Just Be" programs support young black girls aged 12-18. Its ultimate goal is to "ensure that young women move through adolescence and into adulthood with a strong sense of self worth and healthy self esteem."

While directing "Just Be", Tarana was approached by many girls in the program with stories of sexual violence. In one instance, Tarana was told by a high school student that she was late to the program because she was due to have detention but was able to skip it by performing her dance routine in her uniform for the school dean. Tarana couldn't stand to hear these stories but thought to herself "if only I could say to these girls 'me too'".

She decided to help teach these young girls the language to speak about these experiences. She went out into the community to find resources but soon realized that the resources and support were not enough to "help these young girls heal". In 2006, she created a Me Too MySpace page. Within a week, there were many women reaching out, saying that they were glad the page existed and were wondering how to be apart of the movement. A producer from the Simpsons contacted Tarana, funded the page, and sent 5000 t-shirts which became the first MeToo shirts.

In 2008, she moved to Philadelphia to further her work as an activist. She worked at Art Sanctuary Philadelphia as well as at other non-profits.

On October 15, 2017, Tarana was notified by her friends about the MeToo hashtag being used without her credit. At first, she was "terrified" that her work would be "co-opted and erased" but as she followed the thread more, she noticed that women started posting their individual stories along with the hashtag. At that moment, she realized that this was her "work coming to life", and she had to decide whether to be "in conflict or in service". She decided to be in service and shape the movement to make it about "empowermental empathy".

She was a consultant for the Hollywood movie Selma, based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel, Hosea Williams, Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis.

In 2018, she attended the 75th Golden Globe Awards as a guest of Michelle Williams.

Girls for Gender Equity
Burke is the Senior Director of Girls for Gender Equity in Brooklyn, which strives to help young women of color increase their overall development through various programs and classes.

Just Be Inc.
In 1997, Burke met a young girl named Heaven in Alabama who told her about being sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend. She says she didn't know what to say, and never saw the girl again. She says she wished she had said "me too." This and other incidents led Burke to found Just Be Inc., an organization that promotes the wellness of young female minorities, in 2006. Just Be Inc. received its first grant in 2007.

Me Too movement
In 2017, actress Alyssa Milano started using #MeToo as an Internet hashtag in response to accusations against Harvey Weinstein and other public figures of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other abusive behavior. In October 2017, Milano acknowledged Burke's earlier use of the phrase on Twitter, writing "I was just made aware of an earlier #MeToo movement, and the origin story is equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring". Burke has been supportive of the #MeToo hashtag.

When asked if the movement should not be split into two groups—one for sexual harassment and another for sexual assault—Burke said that the movement is for both. She has said that both types of sexual misconduct can be extremely traumatizing, and it's about the trauma someone feels as opposed to trying to categorize the severity of the violence against them.

Time named Burke, among a group of other prominent female activists dubbed "the silence breakers", as the Time Person of the Year for 2017.

Burke organizes workshops to help improve policies at schools, workplaces, and places of worship, and focuses on helping victims not blame themselves for sexual violence. Burke attends public speaking events across the country.