You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience

You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience details the unique relationship that members of Black communities have with shame and vulnerability. Editor Tarana Burke is credited with starting the #MeToo Movement during her work with young girls in Selma, Alabama. Burke encountered countless young women who had experienced sexual violence and abuse. She wanted to offer them a safe space where they could share their stories and find resources. The #MeToo Movement was a way for her to use the power of empathy to help women feel supported.

In 2017, actress Alyssa Milano tweeted in response to allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein. She asked her followers to share their own experiences with sexual abuse, harassment, and violence by using the hashtag #metoo. Milano says that her friend sent her a screenshot of Burke’s use of the phrase, and she was inspired to write the tweet while thinking about her children. That year, Time Magazine named “The Silence Breakers” as the 2017 TIME Person of the Year. These silence breakers were the women who chose to speak out against sexual harassment and assault.