The issue of sexual harassment and assault continues to affect society. In 2006, civil rights activist Tarana Burke founded the MeToo campaign when she began using the hashtag #MeToo on social media. She created the hashtag in order to raise awareness about sexual assault and harassment in America and to make sure marginalized voices weren’t lost in the conversation. #MeToo went viral in 2017 after women began tweeting their reaction to the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations following a tweet by actress Alyssa Milano. The phrase quickly developed into a broad-based social movement and went international.
Directions
Watch the PBS NewsHour interview with #MeToo founder Tarana Burke and answer the questions below.
“The Founder of #MeToo Doesn't Want Us to Forget Victims of Color.” Tarana Burke, founder of #MeToo, and NewsHour anchor Hari Sreenivasan. PBS NewsHour interview with Tarana Burke. Nov. 15, 2017. Edited version. Permission has been granted for educational purposes only, courtesy of WETA/PBS NewsHour Productions via American Archive of Public Broadcasting (WGBH and Library of Congress).