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#MeToo founder, Tarana Burke, to speak at MSU in April

March 22, 2018
Cartoon by D. Faustino
Cartoon by D. Faustino —
tarana-burke

The founder of the global #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke, will speak at MSU on April 19.

Burke will speak at 7:30 p.m. at the Wharton Center as part of the Transformative Justice Speaker Series, according to a press release from MSU Communications and Brand Strategy.

She will discuss the origins of the #MeToo movement and sexual violence in American culture. Her visit "is meant to inspire and motivate those directly and indirectly affected by sexual violence," according to the press release.

Created in 2006, the #MeToo movement resurfaced in October 2017 as a way to empower survivors of sexual abuse and help with their healing process through the use of empathy.

TIME Magazine named Burke as as one of TIME's Person of the Year for 2017. Burke was named one of "The Silence Breakers" by the magazine.

Tickets are free to the public and are first-come, first-serve at the Wharton Center Box Office. Each person is limited to two tickets.

The Transformative Justice Speaker Series was created in 2016 to explore how universities can build safe and supportive environments for marginalized members of the MSU community.

The series was created by by Xhercis Mendez, an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and the African American and African Studies Program.

“A long-term commitment to transforming the culture at MSU is much needed and Tarana Burke has been invited to join the greater MSU community to discuss and envision the long-term changes we want to see,” Méndez said in the press release.

Burke is senior director at New York-based Girls for Gender Equity, a nonprofit that works to end gender-based violence. She also organizes intersectional workshops at schools, offices and places of worship.

“Hearing from Ms. Burke during this time of needed culture change on our campus community is important,” Interim President John Engler said in the press release. “We look forward to her presentation, and I am confident there are things she will share that we can all learn from, given her advocacy work.”

The event will be live-streamed through the College of Arts and Letters.

For accessibility information for the event, contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities.

The talk is sponsored by MSU's College of Arts and Letters, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Music, the College of Social Science, the Honors College and University Outreach and Engagement.

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