The founder of the movement that spread last year on social media, #MeToo, to help demonstrate widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment will speak at MSU.
Tarana Burke will be speaking at the Wharton Center Thursday night at 7:30 PM.
Burke will be talking about the origins of the me too movement and the representation of sexual violence in American culture.
Burke said that her visit is meant to inspire and motivate those directly and indirectly affected by sexual violence, while at the same time,laying the foundation for transforming the conditions, such as racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia and misogyny, that enable sexual assault.
"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," Xhercis Méndez, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and the African American and African Studies Program said.
#MeToo has since developed into a worldwide movement, and Time Magazine named Burke , one of a group of prominent activists dubbed "The Silence Breakers," as Time's Person of the Year for 2017.
Burke is senior director at Girls for Gender Equity, a Brooklyn, New York-based intergenerational nonprofit organization that works to end gender-based violence, where girls and women of color live and learn. She also organizes intersectional workshops to help improve the policies and responses to sexual harm at schools, workplaces and places of worship.
This is a free event for the public to attend, but each person is limited to two tickets. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis and can be picked up at the Wharton Center box office.
The event will be live streamed and you can watch it right here.
