Tarana Burke (left) spoke on campus about the evolution of the #MeToo movement.
The #MeToo movement is compelling, and so is its founder, as a campus audience found out when Tarana Burke came to speak at Drexel in April.
“An Evening with Tarana Burke” revealed Burke as more than just the face behind a viral hashtag. She shared personal history, questions and answers, and lots of laughs with the audience attending the event organized by the Campus Activities Board, The Good Idea Fund and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Drexel.
Burke discussed how the #MeToo movement was initially created to help young women of color who survived sexual abuse and assault — Burke herself being a survivor of child sexual abuse. She said that, with the publicity garnered since the fallout in Hollywood from allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, one of the hardest things has been holding onto the #MeToo narrative as people apply to it their own definitions and purposes. However, she said any conversation around these issues is beneficial.
“The most important thing I think #MeToo has done has been to elevate the conversation about sexual violence, so it’s not hard to have these open conversations,” Burke told the audience. “I could never fill a room like this five years ago talking about this thing, but it’s so pervasive.”