Tarana, a civil rights activist from the Bronx, started the ‘me too.’ Movement in 2006, when she laid out an action plan to reach out to survivors of sexual abuse. More than 10 years later, Tarana reflects on the power of empathy – and how it can unite survivors to fight back. "We owe future generations nothing less than a world free of sexual violence," she says. "I believe we can build that world." 

A survivor of sexual assault herself, Tarana made it her mission early on to work with young women of color to change their lives. Burke developed the nonprofit "Just Be" in 2003, which was an all-girls program for young black girls aged 12 to 18.

Tarana became a vocal spokeswoman for the ‘me too.’ Movement, when #MeToo took on a life of its own, as survivors of sexual violence stepped forward to tell their stories on social media. Time magazine dubbed Tarana and other me-too activists “the silence breakers,” naming them (as a group) Time Person of the Year for 2017.