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.

A year ago today I thought my world was falling apart. I woke up to find out that the hashtag #metoo had gone viral and I didn't see any of the work I laid out over the previous decade attached to it. I thought for sure I would be erased from a thing I worked so hard to build. + https://t.co/VmfwTxhcIo

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

I remember calling my friends frantic and trying to figure out what to do. I didn't know whether to go online and say – THIS ALREADY EXISTS! Or to just let it go, but then I realized letting it go wasn't an option in this moment.

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

Enter – the Sisters. Black women who knew my work and supported me over the years raised up in arms – namely @bevysmith @BritniDWrites @Luvvie @KWestSavali @MyBrownBaby @fiyawata @afrobella and many more! They activated a network and the support came from everywhere.

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

I didn't know that @Alyssa_Milano sent out the first tweet until the following day. And that is when she found out about @MeTooMVMT and reached out to me. She tweeted an apology and posted our website and asked how she could amplify our work. +

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

The most interesting thing happened over the next 24 hours. I posted a video of me giving a speech about #metoo from 2014 and that went viral. And then people began to get confused – had "white hollywood" tried to steal this from a Black woman?!?

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

The short answer, No. But I was definitely in danger of being erased if YOU ALL Black women and our allies and friends, didn't speak up. But something else happened too. I watched for hours that first day as more and more stories poured out across social media from survivors. +

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

One story in particular hit me hard. It was a woman's story or being assaulted on her college campus and it resonated so deeply with me. I was on the one hand fielding calls from my girls like "whatchu wanna do??" they were ready for a fight to make sure I wasn't erased. +

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

On the other hand – I was watching thousands of survivors pour their hearts out across social media with no container to process, no support and no one really helping to walk them through disclosure or uplift the power of community for survivors. +

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

My work has always centered Black and Brown women and girls. And it always will – but at the heart of it all it supports ALL survivors of sexual violence. And I committed to that work a long time ago so watching people open up with what felt like no covering online was hard. +

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

The whole time I was fretting about saving my work and I didn't realize that 'my work' was happening right in front of me.

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

I have wondered a lot this year why God chose to give me this platform and why I was trusted to shoulder this responsibility and every time I ask the question the answer shows up in a different way. I am not questioning anymore I am just grateful.

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

Thank you to everyone who has shown me so much love and support this year. I hope that I represent and stand for survivors of sexual violence in a way that makes you proud. Please know that our work is never ending. In fact its just beginning. +

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

I am so excited to show you all what we've been up to for the last year!! This week we will be rolling out some of those things to share with you. I hope you are excited too!! #MeToomvmt

— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) October 15, 2018

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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