Tarana Burke’s memoir, Unbound, begins with her reaction to the Me Too Movement going viral after a high-profile man in the entertainment industry was accused of serial sexual violence and harassment. At first, it was overwhelming to see something she had created and fostered being taken over by mostly white women, and she felt like she was in a daze for days. The movement was founded in 2006 to support young women of color who experienced sexual assault, and was and is centered around uplifting the survivors in their paths to healing and forming and providing community to those survivors. “Empowerment through empathy” is the driving force behind all of Burke’s activism, and leading the Me Too Movement as it grew (and grew), she knew that the narrative needed to encompass not only the high-profile cases, but those that take place in more ordinary spaces as well.
Burke, who was already deep in a lifestyle and career that was all about organizing and activism centering Black girls and women created “Me Too” to help victims of sexual violence realize they are not alone, and to help speak truth to power. Inspired by an interaction with a young woman at a youth organization she was involved with, Burke realized how many young Black and brown girls and women were quietly living with histories of sexual violence and assault. One of the most pervasive truths in regards to sexual violence, particularly for young Black girls and women, is the secrecy and shame that surrounds it. There’s not a lot of space and safety for victims to speak out, especially when perpetrators are powerful members of a community. Burke set out to change that, creating spaces of safety for those who felt they had none, and in the process, changed the world. Her work has always been about increasing access to resources and support for impacted communities, including but not limited to the Me Too Movement, and her other initiatives around racial discrimination, housing inequality, and economic justice center those same marginalized communities.
Our Unbound colorway, based on the gorgeous art on the cover of her memoir, was created to pay homage to the work she has done and continues to do. Her work has inspired so many people to speak truth to power in large and small ways, and we are grateful to her for being such a force for good in the world.
Books by Tarana Burke:
- Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement
- You Are Your Best Thing
Want more like this? Here are some other authors we suggest you read/listen to:
- Angela Davis
- Audre Lorde
- Ida B. Wells
- Shirley Chisolm
- Ntozake Shange
- Patrisse Cullors
