Burke a champion of women’s empowerment
Tarana J. Burke was just 6 years old when she was first sexually assaulted. She endured two separate assaults later in life.
Each time, she hid the details of the assaults deep inside, where the hurt metastasized into a kind of painful emotional cancer that ate away at her, often leaving her feeling worthless. Fear and shame often muffled her cries of pain.
There have been many stories in books and movies highlighting the struggles of black women who are victims of sexual abuse. Their plight is horrific, excruciating and often generational: Celie in “The Color Purple,” “Precious” and the women in “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Was Enuf” by Ntozake Shange, who died last month.
I am sure Tarana knew many women like these close-up and personal — too many. Black women in particular endured a range of sexual degradation, including human trafficking and generational abuse, for which they were powerless to change. Tarana began her mission by helping black women break that cycle.
As Iyanla Vanzant would say about Tarana: She did the work. She found and strengthened her own voice by helping others with support and resources to enable them to find their voices, to stand in their truth and allow them the self-motivation to take back their lives. To see themselves not as victims but as survivors.
Tarana built a foundation and network of support that gave birth to the #MeToo movement. It became a shot heard around the world for women everywhere. Others with bigger names and powerful connections, mostly white women, heard her voice, and joined hands. They saw commonality of experience and purpose. Once ashamed to share their pain or complain for fear of reprisal, they, too, spoke out about sexual abuse in the workplace and harassment by powerful men.
What started out as a sister-powered movement gathered strength through social media and women of all colors saying Me Too. Movie stars like Alyssa Milano, Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, all survivors, gave the movement greater visibility, as did many others. All helped broaden Tarana’s movement. They came from different cultures, different eras, had different experiences, but unified in the pain and commitment to speak out together in what has been a history-making movement for women.
On Friday, Tarana, sexual abuse survivor, founder of the #MeToo movement, motivational speaker, movement builder and now mother to a young daughter, will be the keynote speaker at UMass Boston’s Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy’s Third Biennial New England Women’s Policy Conference: Ensuring Economic Equality for All Women and Families.
This daylong gathering at the JFK Library of hundreds of women from across New England and beyond will celebrate the value of movement-building and the accomplishments of women who work to make a difference on many levels. It promises to be a wonderful celebration of spirit and of substance, with workshops ranging from sexual harrassment training, to various unfinished economic parity issues, to supporting the next generation of women planning to run for office or to sharpen their leadership skills to provide greater public service.
The brainchild of CWPPP’s fabulous Executive Director Ann Bookman, the conference couldn’t come at a better time to celebrate women, many of whom used their voices to build their own movements to victory in the political arena. More women than ever before, particularly women of color, won congressional, city and statewide offices across the country in record numbers. Others are building historic pathways to success on many levels. They will all be there. I hope you will be, too. For more information and tickets, go to scholarworks.umb.edu/newomenspolicyconf.