She lit fire on #metoo, now she’ll light up city
TARANA BURKE, the founder of the #metoo movement, had her sights set on 2018 as she readied herself to ring in the coming year — along with the millions who will gather in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
The 44-year-old Harlem activist, tasked with throwing the switch that kicks off the countdown for the annual ball drop, joined Tim Tompkins, the president of the Times Square Alliance, on Saturday for a test run.
“2018 is really going to be about recentering the conversation around survivors,” Burke said. “#metoo has been powerful, it’s been global, it’s seen so much happen in a short period of time.”
Burke created #metoo in 2007, but the social media movement gained steam this year and has empowered people who experienced sexual harassment to speak up.
Tompkins applauded Burke and talked about the symbolic nature of her launching the Waterford Crystal ball that will usher in 2018 high above the Crossroads of the World.
“This year in particular and one of the things that we reflect back on and what’s been a huge part of what happened in 2017 was the #metoo movement,” Tompkins said. “We need to go into the new year as a new beginning, with a new set of commitments to a better world.”