SAC and SGA present TARANA BURKE

Event details

This event is FREE and open to MSU students, faculty, and to the public. 

Tarana Burke, founder of the Me Too movement, encourages audiences to use the power of empathy to bring change in our world. Looking back 10 years after the movement started, she seeks to bring dignity and humanity to sexual violence survivors with her message.

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.

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. 

Tarana will be speaking as the Women’s Herstory Month Keynote speaker. This event is sponsored by the Student Activities Council (SAC) and the Student Government Association (SGA). 

SAC is the leading student programming board on the Missouri State University campus. They plan and organize events for the entire student body, including social, cultural, and diverse programs to help educate the student body about current world events and topics. Follow them on social media @MOStateSAC…for more information, email SACLive@missouristate.edu or call 417-836-4386.