Introduction

“You Are Your Best Thing” isn’t just another book about vulnerability and shame; it’s a heartfelt collaboration between two powerful voices, Tarana Burke and Brené Brown. Their goal? To create a space where Black voices could share their stories of vulnerability, resilience, and healing without fear or judgment.

Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, takes the lead as the primary author of this project. The idea behind this book came after the #SharetheMic campaign in 2020. This happened during a time of social unrest following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. It was strange to Tarana how the conversations centered on ‘making white people antiracist,’ as it seemed to ignore the real impact on Black lives and the need to talk about Black humanity. 

When Tarana decided to reach out to Brené – a longtime friend and expert in trauma, she was unsure at first, but she eventually did. She wanted to explore how shame resilience applies to Black experiences; how shame, vulnerability and trauma in Black experiences are added with extra dosage, thanks to systemic racism. And Brené was supportive right away. She admitted that, even though she tried to include diverse voices in her work, some Black people still felt distant from it, as her research often came from her own privileged middle-class white perspective. She even shares an anecdote from her book "The Gifts of Imperfection," where she chose to support her daughter’s joyful dance over societal judgment. She recognized that the same scenario would have posed different challenges for a Black mother. This highlighted the need to view shame resilience through the Black lens.

What makes this collaboration even more heartfelt is how Brené chose to support it. Instead of focusing on herself, she diverted her share of the profits from the book to support Black storytellers. Isn’t that inspiring? Together, they created a space where shame doesn’t silence Black experiences; where stories can uplift and inspire. 

Here, we present seven powerful stories from this collection where Black storytellers – artists, intellectuals, parents and activists speak their truth, reclaim their stories, and, in doing so, uplift others.

First story coming your way…

Summary

"You Are Your Best Thing" by Brené Brown and Tarana Burke highlights Black voices, addressing vulnerability, shame, and resilience against systemic racism. The collection emphasizes healing through storytelling and reclaiming identity.

Shattered by shame but reborn in resilience

Her life had been colored by shame from an early age. She felt it in her dark skin, broad nose, and body size. As she grew older, shame followed into her identity: for not attending prestigious schools, struggling to provide for her six children from four different men. This shame didn’t just weigh her down emotionally; it manifested physically. And then! One night she woke up bruised and battered – her partner, the father of two of her children, almost...