Now she has rescheduled and is set to speak at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Kansas Union Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public.

The timing couldn’t have been better, said Jen Brockman, director of KU’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center, because October is domestic violence awareness month.

“It aligned perfectly,” Brockman said. “We are so honored that she could come to our campus and share her vision with our students.”

Burke has said that she had no clue she would be elevated to a national platform when she formed the grassroots “me too” movement more than 10 years ago. The movement gained a hashtag and skyrocketed in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandals last year.

It was originally an advocacy organization to support women of color who had experienced sexual and gender-based violence. Burke just wanted to help young women who survived abuse and assault.

“The hashtag was first utilized by Alyssa Milano,” Brockman said. “But the ‘me too’ phrasing had originated by Tarana, which Milano was not aware of at the time.”

However, Milano, an actress and activist, and Burke, a civil rights activist, came together, and suddenly Burke was pushed onto the national stage, as #MeToo became a rallying cry for people everywhere who had survived sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Burke is herself a sexual assault survivor; however, she won’t be sharing personal stories from a survivor’s perspective, Brockman said.

“What Tarana will be speaking about is how to transition from a space of awareness, because we are all very aware of sexual violence right now,” Brockman said. “Part of Tarana’s amazing strength is to help folks find their way out of that awareness into a role of activism.”

Brockman said the objective of the event was for students, staff and community members to see how they could move forward and effect change.

“That is really our hope is that the people who come to this event leave with a greater sense of what they can do to be activists,” Brockman said.

Brockman has heard Burke talk at a national event.

“I was floored by the passion she brings to this arena,” she said.

Organizers anticipate that the event could become emotional.

“I don’t know how we have this conversation and it not feel emotional,” Brockman said. “It’s a very personal issue. But it’s an issue that the community should take personally. Whether that emotion is heartbreak or rage or just inspiration, we hope that impacts folks.”

Burke will speak in the ballroom, and parlors on the back side will be set up if people need a self-care space.

Along with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center, co-sponsors of the event are the Student Union Activities Board and the KU School of Law.