The #MeToo movement is beyond just a
hashtag. It is the start of a larger conversation about sexual assault within
our society and our culture. It is an opportunity for radical community
healing. For survivors to come together and say two simple words: “me too.”
To share your story, and to hear others stories, to heal, change the culture,
and to enact change.
That is the message that I took away
from seeing Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement at American
University. Burke frequently used the phrase “radical community healing.” She
claimed she liked it because it’s “dramatic,” but it is also quite powerful and
thought provoking. What does “radical community healing” even mean?
Radical, meaning “advocating or
based on thorough or complete political or social change.” The #MeToo movement
is a revolution. Sexual assault is an issue that effects so many in our
society, especially amongst marginalized communities like people of color. Yet
rape remains taboo in our society. It is an “uncomfortable” topic for people to
hear about, especially people of power and privilege. It is time for something radical,
to change this.
Community. A community is a group of
people who have something in common. The Internet is a great resource to people
who may feel alone to find a community. That is what the #MeToo movement has
done, fostered a community. People who may have felt ashamed of their
circumstance, may have felt safer to share their story because of the #MeToo
movement. The hashtag went viral, exposing just how prevalent sexual assault is
within our culture. The hashtag brought people together, as a collective, to
mobilize under this cause, in order to expose the culture, and hopefully change
the culture. The hashtag created an online and offline community.
Healing is the process of becoming
better again. Healing takes time. Healing may feel absolutely impossible,
especially if you feel alone, and you feel that nothing is ever going to
change. When you feel like you are a part of a community, and a part of a
radical change for the better, it may be more possible to heal.
In creating the #MeToo movement,
Tarana Burke has fostered an environment for radical community healing. This is
because of what Burke referred to as the “empowerment of empathy.” When you hear
someone else has gone through something similar to you, you feel empowered. You
feel like if they survived, why can’t I? They feel like they can find their joy
once again. These feelings cannot be achieved through mere sympathy.
Burke has been working on #MeToo
since 2006, but it became viral not until October, 2017, when actress Alyssa
Milano posted the hashtag on Twitter, encouraging her followers to post their
sexual assault stories. The hashtag went viral. The campaign was super
effective, as it implemented storytelling. These emotionally compelling stories
of assault and harassment could not be ignored, and it garnered great media
attention. Sexual assault became a topic for public discussion, not a taboo.
However, it took Burke a while to
receive the credit she deserved. Burke had worked her entire life on this
campaign, and suddenly a privileged white woman sends out a tweet, and
everything changes? Burke had to make the choice of being mad, or continuing
the momentum, and she chose to continue the momentum. Since #MeToo went viral,
she’s achieved a greater platform to share her story and spread her message.
She was even invited to the Golden Globe Awards and include in the Time
Magazine “Person of the Year” photo shoot with other “silence breakers.”
“The Golden Globes was cute.” Burke
joked, but that is not what #MeToo is about. It’s about radical community
healing.
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