So, I'm sitting here chatting with a new friend of mine.
She's an incredible woman,
who literally needs no introduction,
especially with our history in the past couple years,
in this country.
She is the founder of the Me Too movement.
This is Tarana Burke.
(cheering and clapping)
Tarana has been very busy, of course,
all during the election cycle.
We actually met at the Food Festival,
The New York Wine and Food Festival.
Yes. We were both in an event
celebrating women, of course, women in food that night.
And I just, it was pouring rain by the way,
I just, when I saw her, I literally fell to my knees,
and praised her. (laughing)
I mean, you started a movement for women,
that I think is the most important in decades.
(clapping) Thank you.
My mom is 84, and she is a forerunner,
in that more than 50 years ago,
she went from being a waitress
to running a very large company,
but she was few and far between.
And when she graduated high school,
her guidance counselor told her
she could be a wife, or a secretary.
That was the laundry list of what was possible for her.
Yeah, well we've expanded that a little bit, haven't we?
We certainly have.
What are your thoughts now that we're post midterm election?
What are your reflections about that night?
Well the night was just, it was so much anxiety
on that night. That's right.
But I am so excited about some of the results
around the country.
What happened around the country
was absolutely remarkable.
Whether you're red or blue there was a wave for women,
young women, new blood. (clapping)
Yeah, I think there are some top ticket
and lower ticket wins that we are,
we should be really excited about.
There are 19 black judges, all women, in Texas,
who all won their races.
We have two Muslim women now, taking office.
The first two Muslim women taking office.
The first Native American, openly gay,
and she's an MMA fighter.
That makes her, like a super hero.
Exactly, exactly yeah. (clapping)
There's some stuff to be...
And we have women as young as 29.
From the Bronx.
From the Bronx, going to Congress.
That's right, it's amazing.
I can't even imagine, I get chills all over my body.
Yeah.
You know, I've worked hard all my life,
and my mom's proud of me,
but I can't imagine being a parent of a kid
who goes to Congress at 29.
Who was a bartender a year ago.
That's right.
I think it's a really important thing to note
that what we're seeing is a reaction
to what we've seen over the last couple
of years in this country.
People have seen it and realized, wait a minute,
I have a voice in this.
I'm a part of this democracy.
And I think what the Me Too movement did,
was give people a lot of space to find that voice.
And where do you think, what's next for women?
Like, now what's our next step?
Well here's the thing, let me just say this
about what's next for women, right?
I think that what has happened, is that people keep sayin'
well, women are finding their voice,
and women are finally speaking up,
but that's actually not true.
We have consistently had voices.
We have consistently spoken up.
Everybody has not been listening.
So, I think we found a moment where people can hear us now,
and so our voices are elevated and amplified.
(clapping)
And I'm saying that to say, that I think women
will keep doin' what we've always been doin'.
We always show up and we always show out.
We bring the best, we bring our best selves,
and we bring the best out of other people.
So, I think it'll be women, largely,
who will drive a progressive agenda in this country,
and make sure that the least of these, have what they need.
Like, we're in such a divisive moment,
that so many people are not getting their needs met,
and I think women will largely lead that fight.
In terms of our work, in the Me Too movement,
we're really trying to wrestle the narrative back.
There's a narrative right now that exists that says,
it's a witch hunt and, you know,
we're trying to take down men, and that kind of thing,
and it's just not true.
It's not about that at all.
Not at all.
It's about keeping an open and civil conversation.
Well we have to have a civil conversation, right?
We don't want to exist in a world without men.
What we want to do is walk through life
with our full dignity in tact.
But we want to do that and figure out
how to do that collectively.
It's not, women against men.
It's not a gender war. No.
No, it takes a community to build
where the communities gonna go.
Absolutely, yeah.
(clapping)
I cannot think of a more positive, a more positive way,
to end this one hour.
Thank you so much to Tarana for making time for us.
Thank you.
And to all of our guests today,
thank you for sharing your hour,
of your very important day with us.
And we'll see ya when we see ya.
(clapping and cheering)
(chimes)