In the fall of 2017, actress Alyssa Milano responded to a New York Times exposé on producer Harvey Weinstein’s alleged history of horrific sexual abuse with a Twitter hashtag that went viral: #MeToo.
This was the exact same phrase Tarana Burke, an activist who used it 11 years ago to empower victims of sexual assault. Burke and Milano eventually teamed up to make #MeToo a global phenomenon.
On Saturday, October 15, 2022 the movement will mark the fifth anniversary of the hashtag becoming viral.
Burke officially created the Me Too Movement, an organization that will continue her work regardless of whether its name phrase is trending on Social Media. She stated that the biggest goal she set was “fighting to shift narratives,” in a Business Insider interview.100 People Transforming Business” list.
She said that the conversation around sexual abuse and harassment must change.
We’re still discussing individuals who had acted and we’re still discussing who can return to work or not, as opposed talking about all those who said, “Me too.” What do they really need? What are they doing at the moment? How does their life change?”
Concerning the workplace Bloomberg reportedInterviews with 30 Wall Street executives revealed that hiring women in Wall Street has become “an unknown risk.”
Burke responded, saying that they are really saying “I want to continue behaving the same way I have been behaving.” She doesn’t want this to lead to work environments that are stressful for anyone. Women shouldn’t feel threatened or belittled. Men can respect this without becoming victimized.
“This is not a new age that makes people uncomfortable by unwelcome touching or unwanted advances, or other such things,” she stated. It’s been wrong for years.
Burke stated that she would like to see more open communication in workplaces and cited Accenture. A company that has done it right. This culture of defensiveness is fostered by closed-doors discussions on policies regarding harassment. Burke does not see this as a reason, but it is possible to avoid.
Going forward, Burke wants “Me Too” to not be a divisive issue, but a common-sense one — where it stands for supporting survivors of violence and creating inclusive workplaces.
She stated, “I believe our job is to make people understand that the movement is broad, it’sn’t going anywhere, but we have a lot of work to do.”
