On April 13th, Zirkova One+Together Vodka hosted an intimate evening with Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement that has empowered and offered comfort to countless women worldwide as society begins to tackle and discuss sexual violence.
In 2006, Burke was inspired to start the movement after a 13-year-old girl who attended the youth camp she worked at confided in her about being sexually assaulted. Burke found herself unable to respond, and later wished she had simply told the girl, “me too.” Thus, Burke used the phrase as a jumping off point to create a movement that aims to empower through empathy. It’s clear that Burke’s work resonates with millions of women around the world, and the activist is in the middle of working on a documentary, “Me Too,” that will come out next year.
Zirkova hosted a crowd of guests that included supermodel Veronica Webb, designer Bonnie Young, Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Craig Hatkoff, model and filmmaker Brandee Brown, actress Malgosia Garnys, Lola Burstein Rykiel, artist and curator Indira Cesarine, Women’s Entrepreneurship Day founder Wendy Diamond and stylist Ann Caruso. Burke engaged attendees in a discussion about ending sexual violence against women as well as men, the true meaning and purpose of the #MeToo movement beyond the celebrity hype that has surrounded it and the movement’s next chapter.
Tarana Burke, Zirkova founder Derek Anderson and model Veronica Webb. Photo by BFA.
