Me Too Founder Tarana Burke Wants Candidates To Talk About Sexual Assault

By De Elizabeth


In 2006, Tarana Burke set into motion a much-needed national dialogue surrounding sexual assault any time as soon as she founded the Me Too movement. What started as a community for survivors of sexual violence focusing on Black ladies and females, has sparked a growing societal awareness of the scope of sexual harrassment, abuse, and assault — and has inspired and supported widespread calls for a cultural shift away from such violations as permissable. And with the 2020 presidential election on the horizon, Me Also has taken on another purpose: holding elected officials accountable in their commitment to supporting survivors.


On October 16, Burke announced the launch of #MeTooVoter, a campaign that amplifies the needs of voters who have experienced sexual violence firsthand, and serves as a reminder that the two identities are not exclusive. With the Iowa Caucus just months away, Burke hopes to be able to see the current Democratic presidential candidates put more of a spotlight on sexual violence, from their stump speeches to their policies to the answers they give at forums, town halls, and debates.


“Me Also has been one of the primary media stories of this decade,” Burke recently told MTV News’s Yoonj Kim. “And however there's no conversation about it in these presidential debates. Nobody asks the question.” While some candidates have been outspoken about their allyship to survivors, Burke wants to hear more about their specific policies and platforms. She says she wants to hear phrases like: “‘When I am in leadership in this nation, I will pass the Be Heard Act, and I plan to talk about statute of limitations,’ or ‘I plan to deal with Title IX.’”


While it’s habitually critical to be discussing sexual assault and harassment, the topic is especially timely because the 2020 election approaches, given the legacy of the incumbent candidate. At least 25 women have credibly accused President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct; he has repeatedly dismissed his accusers as “liars,” or insulted their physical appearance in response to allegations.


“We have a sitting president ... Who declared himself a sexual predator by talking about how he grabs females by their vaginas,” Burke mentioned. “This is what we have in the White Residence. The president is supposed to help set the tone for the nation. And that isn't just about policies and laws. It's about culture. So I'd like to know where these candidates stand. What sort of president are you going to be in relation to setting the stage, or making a cultural shift around sexual violence?”


That cultural shift demands addressing the multi-layered length of the problem, as highlighted by the moment that took Me Also viral two years back. In October 2017 — a full 11 years soon after Burke initially created Me Also — Alyssa Milano used a hashtag version of the phrase on Twitter group in attempt to draw attention to the widespread prevelance of sexual assault. At the time, the allegations against former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein were just starting to unfold; Trump, who bragged about groping women on camera, had been in the White Home for nearly each year. Millions of people, from Senator Elizabeth Warren to actor Gabrielle Union to a countless assortment of everyday people, have since opened up about their experiences.


The hashtag, which was later properly attributed to Burke and her legacy, put a spotlight on the need to communicate more honestly about sexual violence — and amplified the truth that survivors are not alone in their pain, anger, and aggravation about the lack of accountability and consequences for perpetrators of such violations. “There is a huge population of survivors and people who support us, right in the millions,” Burke mentioned. According to the National Sexual Violence Statistics Center (NSVRC), one in five U.S. Females are raped in the course of their lifetime. A 2018 online survey conducted by a nonprofit called Stop Street Harassment noticed that 81 percent of the females polled had experienced some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime; 43 percent of males responded the same.


As “Me Also speedily became segment of our everyday vernacular, there’s been more room for the stories that are objectively harder to define, although are a key segment of the larger puzzle. We’re starting to hear more stories of behavior that was not against the law however yet still made someone uncomfortable; stories that mirror an imbalance of power; stories where someone finally felt empowered to look back and conclude: “That shouldn’t have happened to me.” Earlier this year, Lucy Flores, a former candidate for lieutenant governor in Nevada, came forward to accuse former Vice President Joe Biden of behavior that crossed boundaries and made her uncomfortable; at least three other females echoed her allegations with similar experiences. (He later said that he was “sorry I didn’t understand more… I’ve never been disrespectful intentionally, to a male or a woman.”)


“You can't put everybody in the same bag,” Burke mentioned once asked about Flores and Biden. “Notice any time Lucy Flores came forward and discussed about her experience, she didn't use the words ‘me, too.’ She didn't use the word ‘predator.’ She didn't mention ‘sexual assault.’ She mentioned what he did: made her uncomfortable and made her feel powerless. Those are most important feelings.”


Burke went on to highlight the significance of Biden’s response, where he mentioned he would “be more thoughtful about respecting personalized space in the future.” To Burke, this kind of reaction is key — especially from someone in a position of power. “If we don't have the person who caused harm responding by saying, ‘I recognize and understand what you experienced and I'd like to learn how to be different,’ then how does the young girl with a coach that’s really touchy yet very popular...How does she talk about her discomfort and powerlessness? People in leadership have to set examples of what accountability can look like.”


That is where 2020 comes into play: It’s crucial to elect lawmakers in all levels of government who can assist survivors and continue the work that has already begun. Any time former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro unveiled a plan that specifically advocates for Native peoples, he included policies that would supporter for Native ladies who experience sexual violence; Warren also addressed the provide in her plan, which came a couple of weeks later. Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM) is continuing that fight in Congress by advocating for new provisions to the Violence Against Ladies Act. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) have been working to pass a federal bill that would target perpetrators of revenge porn.


Real change is possible, and this is ultimately why Burke is calling for all Me Also supporters to take their passions and voices to the polls. There really is still plenty of work to be done, and at a time once people’s reproductive rights are usually under attack, standing up for bodily autonomy is as key as it’s ever been. And sort in attempt to spark tangible and lasting change, we need to participate in the process and demand better from our country, our leaders, and each other.


“We have to create a statement that the survivors — our power base — are a powerful sort of people,” Burke explained. “If you are still here and functioning trying, and you also were able to declare yourself a piece of Me Also, and mention ‘this happened to me’ — or perhaps in the event you weren't able to do that, although you are working really hard to have a life daily. There's power in survival. There's power in getting up daily soon after something like this attempted to kill you. Saying, ‘I won't perish, I'm going to live. I'm going attempt to fight this with everything I have.’”