February 12, 2023

The Burke and Selma Connection: How the #MeToo movement started in Selma (Technically)

Can you believe it’s been seven years since the #MeToo rallied hundreds of thousands of women across social media to bring awareness around sexual assault and harassment? From Hollywood actresses to everyday women, the tweets and posts galvanized a movement that demanded justice and restitution for those who had been abused by men. 

Soon after the hashtag took hold of the internet, the people were quickly reminded that this movement did not start with a tweet from Alyssa Milano but by a Black woman from the Bronx. Tarana Burke launched MeToo in 2006 as an organization to support women who had been victimized by sexual violence. 

My first semester at Auburn University started with a class led by Dr. Keith Hebert in which we had to create a project focusing on the Water Street District of Selma, AL. In the midst of my research, I searched for Queer voices and spaces in Selma and I was coming up short to say the least. Late one September night, I was searching and came across this article about a trans woman named Akeelah Blu. She had recently been featured on We’re Here, a LGBTQ+ series on HBO in which Bob The Drag Queen, Shangela, and Eureka went to small towns and helped local drag queens put on the show of their dreams. In this article, Akeelah mentioned that she worked with Tarana Burke and it was at that moment, I found my golden ticket. 

Tarana Burke of the #MeToo movement? What was she doing in Selma? Why was she in Selma? What did she do while she was in Selma? These questions rattled my brain and I started digging. I reached out to Akeelah via Instagram and scheduled an interview. I went to my local bookstore and bought Tarana’s book, Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement. Talking to Akeelah was such a heartwarming experience. She told me her story and how she used dance to survive in the very homophobic atmosphere of Selma, AL. “You can’t really walk out in the daytime. People in Selma don’t have acceptance.” Despite the struggles and ignorance of those around her, Akeelah did not let that stop her from being herself and helping young girls in the community through dance. Akeelah spoke very highly of Tarana. To Akeelah, Tarana was a mother figure, her aunt, and her big sister. She has known Tarana since childhood and began to volunteer with Tarana at the age of 19. In Akeelah’s words, Tarana gave each person the push they needed to thrive and excel in an environment that would say otherwise for young Black girls and women.

Along with teaching dance, Akeelah worked as a mentor for young mothers with Tarana through the organization Just Be Inc. The formation of Just Be Inc. started with Tarana seeing a need for mentorship and support for young Black girls. “I was growing increasingly aware of a hole in my work with the children at the Black Belt Arts & Cultural Center. The program was coed, but the boys tended to get more attention than the girls–negative and positive.” She started working closely with the girls who came to the center and in 2004, started Jendayi Aza that first focused on African teachings. After seeing the success with that, Tarana and her friends turned that program into the organization Just Be Inc in 2005. The organization implemented a program known as JEWELS. This programming provided classes and mentorship around self-esteem, self-worth, and pride. “...I wanted them [the girls] to feel seen, heard, and valued.” The main goal of Just Be Inc. was not to combat sexual violence but its curriculum and principles provided the backdrop for Burke’s next endeavor as the founder of Me Too.

Tarana’s work did not start with a myspace page. The foundations of #MeToo can be seen through her work in Selma. When you hear “Selma”, the days of civil protests, marches, and the monumental Bloody Sunday protest reverberated throughout the Civil Rights narrative of the mid-20th century. However, the legacy of Selma should not be contained to black and white photos of police brutality, civil unrest, and calls for racial equality. The story of Selma should include the work and diligence of Tarana Burke. Her activism saved and protected young Black girls from poverty and despair. Working alongside Joanne Bland, Rose Sanders, Akeelah Blu, and countless others, her organization provided community, resources, love, and optimism for young Black girls. In Selma, Tarana found her footing and provided a place for young girls to thrive, achieve, and rise up against the evils of gendered violence. She gave these young girls the voice she did not have growing up. She created a space where they could say “me too” with no shame.