#MeToo Creator Tarana Burke Makes TIME's Person Of The Year List
In a world where the experiences of women are made to feel invalidated, speaking up is a radical and progressive act.
Sexual assault would not be able to take their power away anymore. More than any other year before it, 2017 was the embodiment of women no longer keeping silent about their discomfort for the comfort of men. Together, they said “no" to the word victim and subsequently reclaimed the power they felt left without. Together, they said, “#MeToo."
Today, TIMErecognized the significance of these women in their pick for their 2017 Person of the Year and the move was an equally powerful one.
TIME's Person of the Year are aptly called The Silence Breakers. The Silence Breakers are a culmination of women (and some men) from all walks of life that have refused to remain silent about sexual misconduct.
Among those gracing the cover of the special edition issue are actresses Alyssa Milano and Ashley Judd, the former spearheaded the resurgence of the #MeToo movement, and the latter went on record about her accusations against producer Harvey Weinstein. But the cover story sheds light on women outside of the industry, including a strawberry picker who didn't use her real name and corporate lobbyist Adama Iwu who came forward about being groped in the workplace.
Perhaps what is even more groundbreaking about this issue is that it is a story developed and produced by all women. Charlotte Atler, a national correspondent for TIME, said on Twitter: “This was conceived, reported, and written by women. It was fact-checked by women. The video was shot and edited by women. The layout and photo spread were designed by women. It was one of the reasons I'm proud to work at @time."
The creator of the #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke, who started the movement back in 2006 is also profiled in the issue among the Silence Breakers. Despite Me Too gaining popularity and becoming viral after Milano shared a tweet including the hashtag back in October, Burke is truly the mother of the movement.
Activist Brittany Packnett made mention of the power of black women forcing the media to give Burke her due diligence in regards to the significance she played in #MeToo via a post on Instagram. She wrote, "This recognition is an acknowledgment of the power of black women - and of the importance of being vigilant about speaking the truth. Years ago, Tarana would have been relegated to kitchen table conversations while someone else walked away with the public acclaim and just due that actually belonged to a black person-a black women. No more. No more. This is evidence of us individually and collectively facing down the evil of silence in many forms. Thank you, Tarana. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Thank you indeed.
Host of Sirius XM's "BEVELATIONS" Bevy Smith shared a similar sentiment on Instagram, praising Burke and saluting what she did as a black woman and what all black women have the power to do. In her caption, she wrote:
"Kudos to @time for making #TheSilenceBreakers #TimePersonOfTheYear seeing the goddess [Tanara Burke] receiving her grace for CREATING the #MeToo movement over a decade ago. A movement she started for HER COMMUNITY which is now changing the world! You know Black Women are often the fire starters, we are on the front lines of every major movement but rarely given credit! Our voices overshadowed, IGNORED by others, 'they' tried it with Tarana & #MeToo but WE, BLACK WOMEN & our twitterverse SHUT IT DOWN! Today is a good day & it proves unequivocally that."
An activist in her own right, Burke started Me Too as a way for women to show solidarity with their fellow women and has been contributing to the advancement of women for over a decade. In 2007, she created a nonprofit called Just Be Inc., for women overcoming sexual trauma. 10 years later, Burke is being recognized for her contributions to the world and her part in creating social change with the founding of the viral hashtag. She said:
“Sexual harassment does bring shame. And I think it's really powerful that this transfer is happening, that these women are not able to just share their shame, but to put the shame where it belongs: on the perpetrator."
While people with a platform like Terry Crews, Rose McGowan, and Lupita Nyong'o coming forward with their stories is worthy of applause and celebration, in narratives talking about sexual misconduct and abuse, there are groups of people that are less likely to come forward with their stories. The woman whose elbow is only shown on the cover and the strawberry picker Pascual who doesn't use her real name serve as an example of that.
For those who are brave enough, they can be voices, but not necessarily faces.
As TIMEreported:
“Those who are often most vulnerable in society – immigrants, people of color, people with disabilities, low-income workers, and LGBTQ people – described many types of dread."
The sad reality is that for most victims of abuse, they have no choice but to accept the sexual misconduct out of fear of job loss. In the profile, the women of the Plaza Hotel shared their heartbreaking story that is an example of such an instance. Crystal Washington, an employee of the Plaza Hotel, recalled being excited about joining the hotel as a hospitality coordinator. But shortly after, a co-worker made vulgar statements towards her and would grope her, “I can tell you had sex last night."
Even though what the co-worker did to her was caught on camera, her management did nothing about the incident. Now, Washington and six other female employees of the Plaza Hotel have filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the hotel.
“It's a dream to be an employee there. And then you find out what it really is, and it's a nightmare."
The Silence Breakers making the TIME cover as Person of the Year is a sign that we've come a long way, but the stories that some of the women shared and continue to share shows that there is still more work that needs to be done.
Read the TIME magazine Person of the Year feature in full here.
Featured image by Sarah Morris/Getty Images
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images