People Archives

Melania Trump’s “Be Best“ Campaign: Notes From Her Memoir

What’s Melania Trump’s “Be Best” campaign? How did this initiative aim to protect children while tackling major social issues? Melania Trump launched her “Be Best” campaign in 2018, focusing on three main pillars: children’s well-being, online safety, and opioid abuse awareness. She worked to create safer digital spaces for youth while addressing substance abuse challenges affecting families. Keep reading to discover how this ambitious initiative unfolded, including its achievements and the controversies it faced along the way.

Melania’s Memoir: From Slovenia to the White House & Beyond

A young woman with long black hair and jeans reading a book on a cozy sofa at home

What drives a young woman from Slovenia to pursue her dreams in America? How does life change when your husband becomes the President of the United States? From growing up in Slovenia to becoming First Lady, Melania Trump shares intimate details of her journey in her memoir, Melania. She reveals her path through modeling, business ventures, marriage to Donald Trump, and her role in the White House during one of America’s most turbulent periods. Read on for our overview of Melania’s memoir to get her perspective on some of the most significant moments in recent American history.

Unbound by Tarana Burke: Book Overview and Takeaways

A woman reading a book on a park bench under lemon trees

What’s Unbound by Tarana Burke about? Why did Burke start the phrase “Me Too?” In Unbound, award-winning activist Tarana Burke explores the pivotal role she played in founding the #MeToo movement. Burke coined the phrase “me too” as a tool for healing from sexual violence based on her own journey of recovery via community connection, and she continues to work toward healing sexual violence in the Black community. Read below for a brief overview of Unbound.

Who Is Tarana Burke? The Activist’s Childhood, Explained

Activist Tarana Burke giving a speech in front of a black background

Who is Tarana Burke? What was Burke’s childhood like? Burke’s involvement in anti-sexual violence activism is rooted in her own experience of childhood sexual abuse. In her book Unbound, she briefly describes how her victimization and other experiences inspired a deep-seated sense of shame. Let’s look at the experiences that encouraged her to start the “me too” movement.

Tarana Burke’s Traumatic Sources of Childhood Shame

A young girl with shame feeling childhood shame

What caused Tarana Burke to feel shame in her childhood? How can people’s comments on a child’s appearance affect their self-esteem? Burke explains that in addition to the sexual abuse she suffered as a child, two other major forces influenced her strong sense of shame. Strangers’ comments on her appearance and her mother’s humiliating punishments severely impacted how Burke thought of herself when she was young. Continue reading to learn more about these causes of childhood shame in Burke’s life.

How to Use Anger as Motivation: Tarana Burke’s Fuel for Activism

A woman holding an equality sign, using anger as motivation at a protest

How did Tarana Burke use her childhood shame to become an activist? Can anger be a good source of activism? Although Burke’s childhood was defined by shame, that feeling transmuted into anger when she was a teenager—and Burke channeled it into community activism. In Unbound, she discusses the events that led to this transformation and explores how activism made her feel empowered. Check out how to use anger as motivation by looking at Tarana Burke’s experiences.

How Tarana Burke Became an Activist for Black Rights

Activists for black rights at a protest in a city, holding a sign that says "BLACK RIGHTS"

How did Tarana Burke become an activist for Black rights? How did Burke protest against Donald Trump in the Central Park Five case? Burke explains that she gradually divested from the Catholic church she’d grown up in and chose to attend a public high school. This transition took place because her grandfather, a fiercely pro-Black radical follower of activists like Malcolm X, encouraged her to read books about Black history and to question the church’s complicity in the slave trade. Keep reading to learn more about Burke’s activism beginnings in high school.

Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse in Adulthood (Tarana Burke)

A silhouette of a boy dealing with childhood trauma in a room

What are the effects of childhood sexual abuse in adulthood? How did Tarana Burke handle being told of someone else’s abuse when she was younger? After getting involved in leadership movements, Burke learned to use her anger in a healthier way. However, her experiences of childhood sexual abuse still made it difficult to talk about traumatic experiences with other people. Discover how childhood sexual abuse can trigger people, even when they’re adults.

When Was the “Me Too” Movement Founded? (Tarana Burke)

A woman holding a "me too" sign in the middle of the street, representing when the me too movement was founded

When was the “me too” movement founded? How did Tarana Burke’s daughter influence her to say “me too”? After Burke’s experience with a sexual abuse victim prompted her to take the first step toward healing, she continued to pursue both personal and professional growth. In her book Unbound, she discusses how a series of betrayals and dead ends in her community led Burke to help others heal by founding the “me too” movement. Here’s how motherhood inspired the “me too” movement.

How Tarana Burke Prevented Child Abuse From Repeating

A mother who knows how to prevent child abuse, hugging her smiling daughter

How did Tarana Burke prevent child abuse after giving birth to her child, Kaia? How did Burke end the abusive relationship with Kaia’s father? Although Burke was an activist before giving birth to Kaia, it was ultimately motherhood that prompted her to step up and form her own movement. Burke explains how her own abusive relationship and an interaction with Reverend James Luther Bevel compelled her to protect her child. Continue reading to learn how Burke protected Kaia from abuse.