Community Care Stories
Tarana Burke
“At the start of my career…I wish I would have known that you don't have to sacrifice everything for a cause. And that self-care and self-preservation is also a tool that is necessary to do the work.”
Background:
Born in the Bronx, Tarana grew up in a low-income, working-class family in a housing project and is a survivor of sexual assault. She began her career at a youth development organization.
Superpowers:
Community Organizer, Advocate, Executive, Campaign Leader, Author
Notable Accomplishments:
- Founder of the Me Too Movement which became a worldwide awareness campaign about sexual harassment, abuse, and assault in society
- Former Executive Director of the Black Belt Cultural Arts Center, where she created community programs designed for underserved youth
- Helped to organize the annual Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee to commemorate the Selma Voting Rights Struggle
- Author of several books including Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement
- Created Survivor’s Sanctuary
Cheryl Jones
“Volunteering is how you feel. It’s not even about anything outside of yourself. Volunteering gives purpose to my life, it’s a calling to my spirit to reach out to people. ‘To whom much is given, much will be required’ is a verse from the Bible (Luke 12:48), but service to me also means, to whom much is given, much is received. That feeling can’t be duplicated by anything else.”
Background:
A retired resident of Brooklyn, Cheryl has volunteered her entire life through her job, her church and other local organizations.
Superpowers:
Volunteering, Making Human Connections, Improving Communities
Notable Accomplishments:
- Volunteer and Team Leader at New York Cares on more than 1,000 projects, racking up 3,000 hours of service so far on projects ranging from park clean-ups, feeding people with food insecurity, yoga with kids, serving meals and reading club for seniors
- Stepping up during the COVID-19 pandemic to increase her service
Thahitun Mariam
"When tragedy strikes our communities, it is impertinent to show up and care for one another. Societal care is revolutionary. Compassion and care is crucial, especially in the face of environmental degradation, societal systems failing us and our communities being under attack."
Background:
Brought up in a rural village in Bangladesh for the first six years of her life, Thahitun is a Bronx-bred Bangladeshi-American poet, writer, community organizer and activist. She focuses on issues surrounding social justice, global migration, and women’s empowerment. During the COVID-19 crisis, she channeled her energy into addressing the needs of her Bronx community.
Superpowers:
Activist, Storyteller, Nonprofit Leader, Public Service
Notable Accomplishments:
- During the COVID-19 crisis, she founded the Bronx Mutual Aid Network – an organization that allows residents to organize their own communities and help each other out. Through the concept of “mutual aid,” the organization helps people access food and supplies, pick up prescriptions and complete errands, and more – for people who are elderly, disabled and/or immunocompromised. The entire operation is a volunteer endeavor, with the goal of getting people to organize their own mutual aid networks in their buildings, blocks, and neighborhoods
- Community organizer for the NYC Office of the Mayor
- Co-founder of Bangladeshi Americans for Political Progress
- Co-founder of the Bangladeshi Feminist Collective
