Tarana Burke will be visiting the campus March 29 at 2 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom to speak and bring an end to the University of Memphis’ celebration of Women’s History Month. Burke is the founder of the #MeToo movement that spread widely with the hashtag in 2017.
Burke was born in New York on Sept. 12, 1973. Burke is an African-American civil rights activist who founded the #MeToo movement to raise awareness about sexual abuse and assaults in our society.
In Alabama during 1997, she met a girl by the name of Heaven who informed her about her mother’s boyfriend sexually abusing her. After that, she worked with many women who were sexually abused and created Just Be Inc., an organization that promotes the wellness of young female minorities from ages 12 to 18.
Along with that, Burke has accomplished many things in her life. She was featured in 2017 as part of Time’s Person of the Year, The Silence Breakers, for her work with #MeToo. In 2019, she won one of VH1’s Trailblazer Awards.
With the many media experiences, she has been given the platform to speak more about the movement she started. She is currently a senior director for the Girls for Gender Equity in New York.
This event will be free for students who provide their UofM ID.
