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It was late 2017 when the MeToo movement took off. Actress Alyssa Milano first used the #MeToo hashtag as more and more people were coming forward with their stories on how powerful figures victimized them.
However, the movement was not created in 2017; it actually dates back to 2006 and is rooted in the Black community.
The founder of the MeToo movement, Tarana Burke, has always been about community since her youth, with a focus on issues like racial justice, housing inequality and economic justice. Burke is also a sexual assault survivor and has shared her own experiences, using them as a driving force to promote her work in activism and advocating for other survivors.
It was 2005 in Selma, Alabama when Burke presented a wellness program for school-aged girls. She handed a sticky note to each girl and asked them to either write a thought or two about what they learned about from today’s lesson or to simply write “me too,” which indicated they are a survivor of sexual assault.
Upon reading the sticky notes, Burke noticed 75% of the girls wrote “me too.” The news was devastating for Burke, who had been doing community work for almost a decade by that point. This brought her to the realization that sexual assault against middle school-aged Black girls in the city was widespread.
Another powerful moment that led to the start of the movement was when Burke held an all-girls bonding session at a youth camp. The girls shared personal stories about their lives. While some were positive, others were harrowing. The girls were encouraged by the adults to reach out again if they ever wanted more support.
One of the girls reached out to Burke to share her story, which was similar to her own. Although Burke did not share her story with the girl, all she could think was: “me too.”
Unfortunately, there’s a lack of culturally specific support and resources for helping Black girls and women heal from the trauma of sexual violence. There’s also the possibility of facing hurdles within the justice system stemming from systemic racism and a broken historical relationship with law enforcement.
Upon noticing a lack of resources and a sense of community for survivors, particularly for Black girls and women, Burke established the MeToo movement in 2006 to address the issue. The name, MeToo, came from Burke wanting to provide a sense of solidarity and shared experience so survivors can understand they are not alone.
At the beginning, the movement focused on their vision of providing healing to survivors who are marginalized through resources, sport and pathways.
When the #MeToo hashtag went viral in October 2017, Burke initially felt crushed seeing the phrase she coined go viral and co-opted by Hollywood and the masses. As a Black woman who’d been advocating for Black girls and women, Burke was concerned no one would believe she was behind the movement. She was also worried about the impact it would have, not just for Black girls and women, but for other survivors of colour.
Burke overcame these fears upon realizing survivors were being given the chance to receive healing by being heard. She was also given credit for the phrase by Milano after the actress became aware of its history.
While the movement consists of assisting a growing spectrum of survivors of all backgrounds, there’s still a pivotal effort to provide support for Black girls and women as sexual assault against them is still a hidden crisis.
For Black girls and women, the movement has brought more awareness and visibility to the forefront. It has encouraged them to come forward with their stories and establish a space with a sense of collective power and support amongst one another.
Sydnee Walcott is a Copy / Contributing Editor for Black Voice. She is also a writer who likes to capture the essence when writing articles on a variety of topics.