It’s been a year since #MeToo went viral and ruffled the feathers of mainstream media. The so-called “overnight” movement took the world by storm and offered a safe refuge for women (and men) who suffered sexual abuse, harassment or assault to share their stories. But in fact, the push for this movement began years ago. 

PHOTO: Bustle

Tarana Burke, the Founder of #MeToo, took to Twitter to reflect upon the past year and highlight how the movement amplified following that infamous tweet from Alyssa Milano. 

For Burke, the journey began in 2006 as an expansion of her efforts to shed light on the abuses experienced by women and girls. While #MeToo has gained a tremendous amount of support and recognition, Burke's goal for 2019 strives to return the focus towards the sexual injustices women around the world endure every day. 

“…those same women and girls, along with other people of color, queer people and disabled people, have not felt seen this year… The depth and breadth of sexual violence in this country can’t be quantified, but it definitely doesn’t discriminate, and we won’t begin to really understand its impact unless we look at the whole story,” Burke shared in a reflection piece for Variety. 

Ultimately, Burke hopes the public will place less attention on those accused, and shift the rightful power to the victims and survivors who valiantly reveal their traumas to the world. 

“If we could pull back from focusing on the accused and zero in on the ones speaking out, we would see common denominators that bridge the divide between celebrity and everyday citizens: the diminishing of dignity and the destruction of humanity. Everyday people — queer, trans, disabled, men and women — are living in the aftermath of a trauma that tried, at the very worst, to take away their humanity. This movement at its core is about the restoration of that humanity.”

As 2019 looms ahead, Burke believes there are still some areas in need of work. We must continue to:

Provide a mechanism of support to survivors and move people to action

demand intentional public dialogue towards accountability 

  • expand the scope of the movement in the mainstream

“I can’t stress how critical our next steps are. It’s been almost 30 years since Anita Hill testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about the sexual harassment she endured at the hands of now Justice Clarence Thomas. It is so disheartening that we’re here again, but it’s just another reminder about where we are as a country and how this movement still has to be powered by everyday people who vote, who are vocal, who are active, who are tuned in and aware of how it’s bigger than Hollywood, and bigger than politics,” Burke laid out in Variety. 

Throughout the year, Burke's team established a community for online engagement and vows to continue laying the groundwork through partnerships and programming. This past Monday, Burke proudly announced #MeToo has teamed up with the New York Women's Foundation to devise funding, with a goal to raise more than $25 million, to assist in the fight to end sexual violence over the next five years. Overall, the fight continues to grow and maximize the reach of the movement.

“The work of #MeToo builds on the existing efforts to dismantle systems of oppression that allow sexual violence, patriarchy, racism and sexism to persist. We know that this approach will make our society better for everyone, not just survivors, because creating pathways to healing and restoration moves us all closer to a world where everyone knows the peace of living without fear and the joy of living in your full dignity”

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