The more I read women’s memoirs, the more I realize the inner strength it takes to actually rise above our challenges, whatever they may be. Yet when we heal ourselves, we shine a light for those around us, and out into the world.
Tarana Burke’s journey of self-acceptance and healing, told in, “Unbound,” is no exception.
The founder of the “Me Too” movement, hers is a story of sexual abuse—and yearning to lift up girls and women of color with similar experiences.
Two scenes stand out: First is when, after years of denial, Tarana finally lets the pain she had been carrying around from being sexually abused rip open and permeate her being. I can relate to the experience of finally allowing feelings I’ve suppressed to bubble up to the surface and take me over, then move out into the universe where they belong.
The second is when she creates a safe space for her young daughter to share that she had been sexually harassed. And how Tarana finally admits—out loud, to someone else—about having been sexually abused, herself—something she hadn’t yet done, but needed to. Her bravery, at the moment, allowed her daughter to know that she, too, would make it through to the other side.
As a women’s memoirist, my compassion for being human grows deeper still. The more I help craft other women’s stories, the more I learn about my own.
