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Aug. 28, 2019

Media Advisory: 'me too.' Movement Founder Tarana Burke Speaking at the University of Arizona

  • What: "A Fireside Chat with Tarana Burke, Founder of the 'me too.' Movement"
  • When: Oct. 30, 6 p.m.
  • Where: UA Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd.

TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Arizona Consortium on Gender-Based Violence is bringing Tarana Burke, renowned civil rights activist and founder of the 'me too.' Movement, to the UA.

The event, titled "A Fireside Chat with Tarana Burke, Founder of the 'me too.' Movement," will be on Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at UA Centennial Hall. The conversation will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.

The tickets are $10 for CatCard holders and $15 for community members. Tickets go on sale on Aug. 30 and can be purchased online at https://centhall.org/ or in-person. Presale tickets for CatCard holders went on sale Aug. 27.

About the Event

Burke shares the story behind the genesis of the viral 2017 TIME Person Of The Year-winning 'me too.' Movement, and gives strength and healing to those who have experienced sexual trauma or harassment. She talks about why sexual violence is so rampant in our culture and about concrete ways that citizens can interrupt it.

The 'me too.' Movement is not just an overnight hashtag sensation; Burke has dedicated more than 25 years of her life to social justice and to laying the groundwork for a movement that was initially created to help young women of color who survived sexual abuse and assault. The movement now inspires solidarity, amplifies the voices of thousands of victims of sexual abuse, and puts the focus back on survivors.

Speaker Series

This event is part of the Consortium's new Speakers Series, which provides members of the UA and Tucson community with the opportunity to engage with renowned writers, activists, artists and scholars whose work focuses on the topic of gender-based violence.

Prior to the Burke event, the Consortium will host a reading by the critically acclaimed author and activist Lacy M. Johnson at Holsclaw Hall on the UA campus on Sept. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Free tickets can be reserved at Eventbrite. A third event will be scheduled in the spring.

Johnson will read from her most recent collection, "The Reckonings," as well as share her personal experience of sexual violence, to consider how our ideas about justice might be expanded beyond vengeance and retribution to include acts of compassion, patience, mercy and grace.

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Media contact:
Amalia Mora
UA Consortium on Gender-Based Violence
520-621-3304
amaliacmora@email.arizona.edu
The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top 50 public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the UA is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The UA ranked in the top 25 in 2018 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $687 million in annual research expenditures. The UA advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 62 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually.