WEBVTT 00:02.100 --> 00:04.133 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% HARI SREENIVASAN: But first: In recent weeks, millions of people have taken to social media 00:04.133 --> 00:08.033 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% to share their personal stories of sexual assault and harassment, using the hashtag 00:08.033 --> 00:10.066 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% #MeToo. 00:10.066 --> 00:14.000 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% The woman behind the original MeToo campaign wants to make sure marginalized voices aren't 00:14.000 --> 00:16.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% lost in the current conversation. 00:16.033 --> 00:19.533 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Tarana Burke created Just Be Inc. more than a decade ago. 00:19.533 --> 00:24.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% It's a nonprofit focused on giving resources and support to young women of color grappling 00:24.133 --> 00:26.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% with sexual trauma and harassment. 00:26.266 --> 00:27.766 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% Tarana Burke, welcome. 00:27.766 --> 00:29.233 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% TARANA BURKE, Founder of MeToo Movement: Thank you. 00:29.233 --> 00:30.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% HARI SREENIVASAN: First, why did you start this 10 years ago? 00:30.033 --> 00:32.033 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% What was behind it? 00:32.033 --> 00:34.366 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% TARANA BURKE: Well, I'm a survivor of sexual violence, and I was working with young women 00:34.366 --> 00:37.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% who were disclosing their experience with sexual violence. 00:37.733 --> 00:42.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And my friend and I started an organization called Just Be Inc. to work with young girls, 00:42.400 --> 00:47.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% and we realized we needed to shift and start dealing with the issue of sexual violence 00:47.133 --> 00:48.766 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% in the community we were in. 00:48.766 --> 00:50.766 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% HARI SREENIVASAN: Was there a particular case that spoke to you? 00:50.766 --> 00:53.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% TARANA BURKE: Well, there were several cases. 00:53.033 --> 00:58.033 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% But, you know, some years before we started this work, there was a young woman who had 01:00.133 --> 01:02.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% come to me with her story at a time in my life when I really wasn't equipped to handle 01:02.400 --> 01:04.433 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% it. 01:04.433 --> 01:08.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And I felt a real debt to her and wanting to do some work that would cover the work 01:09.866 --> 01:11.533 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% that I didn't do at that time. 01:11.533 --> 01:13.400 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% HARI SREENIVASAN: And that you didn't say me too to her at that time. 01:13.400 --> 01:14.866 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% TARANA BURKE: I didn't. 01:14.866 --> 01:17.066 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% HARI SREENIVASAN: And so this is an offshoot of that. 01:17.066 --> 01:20.466 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% So, when you see this conversation, when you saw this conversation go national, go viral 01:20.466 --> 01:22.566 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% in this way, what came to mind? 01:22.566 --> 01:26.933 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% TARANA BURKE: Well, at first, I wondered how our work would be uplifted in that moment, 01:27.800 --> 01:29.900 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% right? 01:29.900 --> 01:33.800 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% And I realized that I needed to insert myself in the conversation for a few reasons, one, 01:36.233 --> 01:38.800 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% to make sure that the marginalized voices I represent weren't erased, but also to provide 01:38.800 --> 01:42.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% people some context for the use of MeToo. 01:42.066 --> 01:46.900 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% We have a theory called empowerment through empathy, which is the basis of how we do the 01:46.900 --> 01:48.766 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% work. 01:48.766 --> 01:51.800 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And I felt like it was necessary to ground the conversation in a body of work. 01:51.800 --> 01:55.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% HARI SREENIVASAN: You have said before that sexual violence doesn't see race or class, 01:55.100 --> 01:56.533 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% but the response to it does. 01:56.533 --> 01:58.566 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% Tell me what that means. 01:58.566 --> 02:01.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% TARANA BURKE: That means that when we see things like Harvey Weinstein having dozens 02:01.633 --> 02:06.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% and dozens of accusers, and the only person he responds to is Lupita Nyong'o and -- the 02:07.900 --> 02:09.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% black women, that means something. 02:09.900 --> 02:14.533 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% It also means that, when you have all of these powerful, rich, wealthy men who are white 02:14.533 --> 02:19.533 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% and attacking or are victimizing white women, it gets all of this attention, but you have 02:21.533 --> 02:24.733 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% somebody like R. Kelly, who has been a known sexual predator for two decades, but his victims 02:26.100 --> 02:27.633 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% are all black girls. 02:27.633 --> 02:29.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% HARI SREENIVASAN: Why do you think that disparity exists? 02:29.700 --> 02:32.800 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% TARANA BURKE: Well, I think it's rooted in the oppression that we,that people of color 02:32.800 --> 02:34.933 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% face in this country. 02:34.933 --> 02:37.966 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% I also think it's rooted in the way we're socialized to think about black girls and 02:37.966 --> 02:39.300 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% women of color, right? 02:39.300 --> 02:42.166 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% We're socialized to not believe black women. 02:42.166 --> 02:47.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% We're socialized to believe that we are fast and sexually promiscuous and things of that 02:47.100 --> 02:49.200 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% nature. 02:49.200 --> 02:52.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And so, when people look at R. Kelly's victims, they don't see girls, little children. 02:52.400 --> 02:53.866 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% They see women. 02:53.866 --> 02:56.866 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% HARI SREENIVASAN: So, what comes next in this conversation? 02:56.866 --> 03:00.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% How do you take it from a hashtag to the real work that has to be done? 03:00.100 --> 03:02.966 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% TARANA BURKE: Well, that's one of the reasons why I inserted myself, right, because the 03:02.966 --> 03:06.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% work was already being done, and we want to expand on that. 03:06.766 --> 03:11.766 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% I think what we have seen over the last month is mass disclosure across social media. 03:13.700 --> 03:16.533 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And as much as that is empowering, it is also problematic in some ways. 03:16.533 --> 03:18.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% People don't have a way to process. 03:18.600 --> 03:22.466 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% People don't have a way to think about what happens after they disclose their experience 03:22.466 --> 03:24.100 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% with sexual violence. 03:24.100 --> 03:27.133 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% And so one of the things we want to do is really support survivors. 03:27.133 --> 03:31.700 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% We want to find ways to give resources to people in communities that don't have resources. 03:31.700 --> 03:35.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And we also want to activate folks who are ready to do the work of ending sexual violence. 03:35.633 --> 03:39.066 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% HARI SREENIVASAN: But you have also said that you want to look at the structural kind of 03:39.066 --> 03:42.400 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% inequities, deficiencies, not just the edge cases. 03:42.400 --> 03:47.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Let's not just focus on Harvey Weinstein, but the forces at work behind it. 03:48.133 --> 03:49.633 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% TARANA BURKE: Right. 03:49.633 --> 03:52.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I think that it's a mistake for us to keep creating boogeymen. 03:52.300 --> 03:55.166 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Every day, literally, there's a new better than person that comes out, and everybody 03:55.166 --> 03:56.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% has shock and awe: Oh, my God. 03:56.633 --> 03:59.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I can't believe so-and-so did this. 03:59.266 --> 04:03.500 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And the reality is that those people operate within systems that allow them to flourish. 04:03.500 --> 04:07.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% When we look at patriarchy, when we look at capitalism, these are systems in place that 04:07.633 --> 04:12.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% allow men like Harvey Weinstein, or Bill Cosby, and even R. Kelly to exist, because people 04:14.200 --> 04:16.566 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% are more invested in those systems than they are in human dignity. 04:16.566 --> 04:19.166 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% HARI SREENIVASAN: But what is necessary, especially by men? 04:19.166 --> 04:21.600 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% TARANA BURKE: You know, men keep asking that question. 04:21.600 --> 04:23.066 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% (LAUGHTER) 04:23.066 --> 04:25.166 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% TARANA BURKE: I think men need to be proactive. 04:25.166 --> 04:29.766 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% I think that they don't need to wait for women to lead the way, because this is really -- the 04:29.766 --> 04:33.066 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% thing that troubles me is, oftentimes, men say, well, I want to be better because I have 04:33.066 --> 04:35.166 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% a daughter, because I have a wife. 04:35.166 --> 04:38.433 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And, really, it should be, I want to be better because I'm a human being and I recognize 04:38.433 --> 04:42.966 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% that women are human beings, and I should be honoring their dignity and their humanity, 04:42.966 --> 04:45.966 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% and not just because I'm connected, have a familial connection. 04:45.966 --> 04:47.666 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% So, men need to be proactive. 04:47.666 --> 04:50.166 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% They need to do research. 04:50.166 --> 04:53.833 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% There are tons of organizations who help men understand patriarchy and privilege, and they 04:55.100 --> 04:57.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% need to start dismantling those things. 04:57.433 --> 04:59.533 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% HARI SREENIVASAN: You know, speaking of inserting yourself in the conversation, there's a piece 04:59.533 --> 05:03.466 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% of legislation on Capitol Hill right now that has the title -- MeToo in the title. 05:04.600 --> 05:05.866 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% But this isn't something that you're behind? 05:05.866 --> 05:07.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% TARANA BURKE: No, I'm not behind it. 05:07.233 --> 05:09.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And I don't -- I don't know what to make of it. 05:09.933 --> 05:14.933 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So there was a MeTooCongress hashtag that came about, and I thought it was powerful 05:16.866 --> 05:20.733 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% that people in Congress were stepping forward and talking about the sexual harassment that 05:20.733 --> 05:22.733 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% they face in Congress. 05:22.733 --> 05:26.333 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% But the way this bill is being framed, I think people are thinking that this is something 05:26.333 --> 05:29.333 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% for survivors of sexual violence across the board, when it's not. 05:29.333 --> 05:34.166 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Just using the name MeToo feels like it's trading on the popularity of the moment, which 05:34.166 --> 05:36.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% is fine, because everybody's doing that. 05:36.600 --> 05:39.466 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% But I think they need to be more clear that this is not a bill that's going to support 05:39.466 --> 05:41.166 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% survivors of sexual violence. 05:41.166 --> 05:43.400 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% It's very specific to the people who work on Capitol Hill. 05:43.400 --> 05:47.233 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% HARI SREENIVASAN: Do you think all of this attention is an actual tipping point, or are 05:47.233 --> 05:49.900 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% we going to get caught up in the next movement, the trends? 05:49.900 --> 05:53.933 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% TARANA BURKE: It's definitely a viral moment, and I think that we should acknowledge that, 05:53.933 --> 05:56.033 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% and that's fine. 05:56.033 --> 05:59.533 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% I think that people are really caught up in what's going to happen and, you know, is this 05:59.533 --> 06:01.100 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% going to be a viral moment? 06:01.100 --> 06:03.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% What is going to happen is what we allow to happen. 06:03.033 --> 06:04.533 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% And so the work already existed. 06:04.533 --> 06:05.800 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% The work will continue. 06:05.800 --> 06:07.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And I feel like this is a tipping point. 06:07.266 --> 06:10.200 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% This is a place where this is a cultural shift. 06:10.200 --> 06:14.300 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And I'm going to do the best I can to take advantage of that and continue this work far 06:14.300 --> 06:16.300 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% beyond the hashtag. 06:16.300 --> 06:18.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% HARI SREENIVASAN: All right, Tarana Burke of Just Be Inc., the creator of the MeToo 06:18.633 --> 06:19.633 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% movement, thank so much. 06:19.633 --> 06:19.766 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% TARANA BURKE: Thank you.