
About this episode
Please join us in the first part of our joyful, energizing, and hopeful conversation with activist, advocate, and our personal hero,Tarana Burke. We talk about:
1. How the spoken and unspoken rules for girls led Tarana to constantly perform the role of “good girl” so that “her secret” would never be revealed.
2. The impossible double bind so many survivors live through: that the protection of our community is what saves us, but the need to protect our community is what silences us.
3. Why Maya Angelou’s work changed everything for Tarana—and how, in her early twenties, she began documenting everything joyful in her life.
4. How dancing with Rob was the one place Tarana could safely explore her sexuality with no demands on her body—and how meaningful that was for her.
CW: We reference sexual abuse and trauma.
About Tarana:
For more than 25 years, activist and advocate Tarana J. Burke has worked at the intersection of sexual violence and racial justice. Fueled by commitments to interrupt sexual violence and other systemic inequalities disproportionately impacting marginalized people, particularly Black women and girls, Tarana has created and led various campaigns focused on increasing access to resources and support for impacted communities, including the ‘me too.’ movement, which to date has galvanized millions of survivors and allies around the world.
Book: Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement
Instagram: @taranajaneen
Twitter: @TaranaBurke
Get every episode summarized
Each time We Can Do Hard Things publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from We Can Do Hard Things

(BEST OF) Hannah Gadsby: Neurodiverence & The Exfoliation of Shame
We Can Do Hard Things
Sep 10, 202658:20completed

Why "We Never Fight" is a Red Flag: How to Fight Well with Priya Parker
We Can Do Hard Things
Sep 8, 20261:31:08completed

(BEST OF) Gloria, Gloria Hallelujah: Gloria Steinem on How to Lead
We Can Do Hard Things
Sep 3, 202649:58failed

(BEST OF) The Surprising Science of Heartbreak | Florence Williams
We Can Do Hard Things
Sep 3, 202653:23failed