Me Too movement pioneer to be first spring ULS speaker

Maria Ranoni

Tarana Burke, founder of the initial Me Too movement, will speak at USF on Jan. 22 as part of the University Lecture Series.

Tarana Burke, who created the Me Too movement over a decade ago, according to The New York Times, will be the first University Lecture Series speaker of the spring semester, it was announced at Monday night's Stampede Comedy Show.

Burke, who will speak Jan. 22, did not initially receive credit after the movement grew in popularity last year, according to The Times.

Burke’s creation has evolved into the #MeToo movement and has become a cultural phenomenon, bringing awareness to stories of sexual harassment and assault.

Celebrities like Alyssa Milano, Taylor Swift, Terry Crews and Ashley Judd are among those who have shared their stories using the since-viral hashtag.

TIME Magazine named the individuals who have spoken out and used #MeToo to share their stories as the “Persons of the Year” in 2017.

“Sexual harassment does bring shame,” Burke, 44, said in an interview with TIME last year. “And I think it's really powerful that this transfer is happening, that these women are able not just to share their shame but to put the shame where it belongs: on the perpetrator.”

 

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