Tarana Burke was born on September 12, 1973.  She is an American activist from The Bronx, New York who started the Me Too movement. In 2006, Burke began using “metoo” to help other women with similar experiences to stand up for themselves. After working with survivors of sexual violence, Burke developed the nonprofit “Just Be” in 2003, which was an all-girls program for black girls aged 12 to 18.  In 2006, Burke founded the Me Too movement and began using the phrase “Me Too” to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and assault in society.

Over a decade later, the phrase “Me Too” developed into a broader movement following the 2017 use of #MeToo as a hashtag after the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations. On October 15, 2017, Burke was notified by her friends that the MeToo hashtag was being used online. Burke decided to be in service and shape the movement to make it about “empowermental empathy”.  The phrase and hashtag quickly developed into an international movement.

Burke received the 2018 Prize for Courage from The Ridenhour Prizes, which is awarded to individuals who demonstrate courageous defense of the public interest and passionate commitment to social justice, for popularizing the phrase “me too” as a way to empathize with sexual assault survivors more than a decade ago.

Time named Burke, among a group of other prominent activists dubbed “the silence breakers”, as the Time Person of the Year for 2017. Burke presents at public speaking events across the country and is currently Senior Director at Girls for Gender Equity in Brooklyn.