Tarana Burke and Dr. Brené Brown bring together a dynamic group
of Black writers, organizers, artists, academics, and cultural
figures to discuss the topics the two have dedicated their lives to
understanding and teaching: vulnerability and shame resilience.
Contributions by
Kiese Laymon, Imani Perry, Laverne Cox, Jason Reynolds, Austin
Channing Brown, and more
It
started as a text between two friends.
Tarana
Burke, founder of the ‘me too.’ Movement, texted researcher and
writer Brené Brown to see if she was free to jump on a call. Brené
assumed that Tarana wanted to talk about wallpaper. They had been
trading home decorating inspiration boards in their last text
conversation so Brené started scrolling to find her latest Pinterest
pictures when the phone rang.
But
it was immediately clear to Brené that the conversation wasn’t
going to be about wallpaper. Tarana’s hello was serious and she
hesitated for a bit before saying, “Brené, you know your work
affected me so deeply, but as a Black woman, I’ve sometimes had to
feel like I have to contort myself to fit into some of your words.
The core of it rings so true for me, but the application has been
harder.”
Brené
replied, “I’m so glad we’re talking about this. It makes sense
to me. Especially in terms of vulnerability. How do you take the
armor off in a country where you’re not physically or emotionally
safe?”