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#MeToo creator answers 10 questions and perfectly explains what the movement is all about.

This black woman started #MeToo years ago. Now, she's paving the way toward change.

Tarana Burke has been working as an activist for years, but her work has become internationally recognized in recent months after #MeToo went viral.

A longtime advocate for sexual assault survivors, Burke has devoted her life to improving the lives of young girls from marginalized groups. Historically, women of color have often been left out or virtually ignored in conversations around sexual assault and abuse. Burke has made black and brown girls the center of her work and is a driving force in making the #MeToo movement intersectional.

Burke’s visible leadership points to an important shift in feminist causes: Women of color must participate and create, but also be elevated as leaders and innovators.  

Burke talked with Upworthy about this need and the importance of intersectionality in the #MeToo movement.

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14 poignant pics of Holocaust survivors and 14 heart-wrenching notes to go with them.

Stark and brazen in the face of history, these faces shine out and remind the world of its darkest moment but also its brightest future.

"Survivor"is a photo series that tells the story of over 200 people who survived an important and painful episode in history.

Every person featured in the series is a survivor of the Holocaust. Each portrait is accompanied by a caption, written in their own handwriting. The messages range from feelings of unquenched anger, to peaceful resolution, to hope for the future.

Photographer Harry Borden, a seasoned celebrity photographer, started the project 10 years ago and spent five years traveling the globe to meet and photograph his subjects. He photographed the survivors in their own homes using natural light to create a sense of intimacy.

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Laura's soon-to-be ex-husband stood over her body for nearly half an hour before dialing 911.

The husband, a former Marine and police officer, had fired a shotgun into Laura's stomach from point-blank range. On the ground and beginning to bleed out, Laura begged him to call for help. When it finally came, she was given a 1% chance of survival. Luckily, she pulled through.

Laura, featured in Kathy Shorr's book "SHOT: 101 Survivors of Gun Violence in America," was shot by her soon-to-be ex-husband in Houston in 2009. All photos courtesy of Kathy Shorr.

Her story, and the stories of 100 other people across the U.S., are featured in a new book chronicling survivors of gun violence.

The book, appropriately titled "SHOT: 101 Survivors of Gun Violence in America," is the work of New York-based photographer Kathy Shorr, who was inspired by her own brush with gun violence. Years ago, Shorr was at home when two armed men broke in to rob her, holding her and her daughter at gunpoint. It's an experience that, understandably, stuck with her.

"It's very hard to describe [how it feels] when somebody has your life in their hands and you're not sure what they're gonna do," she says.

Courtney was shot in the face by her boyfriend, Therese was shot in the head by her husband, and Karissa was shot three times in the back by her boyfriend.

The U.S. has a problem with gun violence — that much is sure. Solutions, on the other hand, are a far more complicated issue.

Shorr thinks there are few people more qualified to speak up on the topic of gun violence than those we so often forget: the survivors.

"We don't really hear about them. The people that are in tragedies, they kind of have to just go on with their lives, and they don't really get too much attention or sympathy from people," she says, adding that survivors are expected to feel lucky and the lasting effects are overlooked.

Kieba was shot by her fiancé in the parking lot of the apartment they shared in Miami Lakes, Florida, in 1999.

Gun violence and domestic violence are inextricably linked, and many of the people Shorr photographed for her book are proof of that.

While her project features survivors of gun violence from a wide range of backgrounds in a wide range of circumstances, there's one area where representation is especially appreciated: cases involving domestic violence. It's tragic just how routine so many of the situations can be, and how Shorr expertly captures the realities of this aftermath.

Janine, a corrections officer in New York, had told her husband, a captain with the Corrections Department, that she wanted a divorce. In response, he shot her.

In 1999, Marlys, a woman from Canoga Park, California, was shot through the heart by her husband of 41 years.

More than half of U.S. women who die by gun violence are killed by their partners or ex-partners.

It's a fact that doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves, and it is one of the main reasons people urging women in abusive relationships to "just leave" may not fully understand the risks that come with it.

On April 10, 2017, Karen Smith was murdered by her husband in San Bernardino, California. Her death caught the attention of national media for a number of reasons: It happened at a school, there were other victims, and San Bernardino has become synonymous with the 2015 terrorist attack. But sadly, there are hundreds more equally heartbreaking stories just like Smith's that we don't hear about.

According to an Associated Press analysis, an average of 760 Americans are shot and killed by current or former partners each year.

In 2008, 15-year-old Janelle was shot in the groin by her 17-year-old boyfriend. As a result, she is unable to have children.

Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, thinks steps need to be taken to prevent domestic abusers from obtaining guns.

She's part of a growing movement of volunteers made up of mothers, gun owners, and, yes, survivors of gun violence who are pushing for sensible gun safety measures.

"When it comes to gun violence against women, the United States is the most dangerous country in the developed world," says Watts. "In fact, the presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation makes it five times more likely that a woman will be killed and most mass shootings in the U.S. are related to domestic or family violence."

Kathleen was shot in the head by her husband, Alisha was ambushed by her ex-husband in the lobby of her work, and Donzahelia was shot by a jealous boyfriend.

As for Shorr, she hopes that everyone, regardless of age, race, background, or location, can relate to her work in one way or another. After that, it's time to take action.

"A lot of people are shot in their home or their car — the gym, church, shopping centers, movie theaters," she says. "I thought if I photographed people where they were shot, that if there was a person looking at the project and couldn't identify with any of the 101 survivors, that perhaps they'd be able to to identify with [a location]."

Hopefully, her work will inspire people to learn more about gun violence (and its connection to domestic violence) and take action on bringing it to an end. A good place to start is by checking out Shorr's book (published by powerHouse and available on Amazon) or by looking at the resources put out by organizations like Everytown for Gun Safety, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

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Most domestic abuse shelters don't accept pets, leaving women with a hard choice to make.

Too many women are having to choose between their safety and their pets.

Heather Gamble knew she had to leave home for her own safety when her then-boyfriend became violent. But abandoning her pets — that was an impossible decision.

‌“By the time I was thinking about leaving, my dog was nearly 2 years old, and at that point, it was a bond like what parents have with children," she says. "Pets can sort of take that place in your heart and life.”

Heather and her dog, Nala. Photos courtesy of Heather Gamble.

Loved ones tried to convince her to leave her dog and two cats at an animal shelter. But those animals had been by her side as she endured physical and verbal abuse. During one particular argument, Gamble says her abuser kicked her dog Nala. These animals were family and couldn't be left behind.

Luckily, a local women’s shelter had just received a grant that allowed women and their animals to stay there. Gamble and her pets moved in immediately.

But not everyone has access to an animal-friendly shelter the way Gamble did.

In fact, it's estimated that fewer than 5% of domestic violence shelters allow pets.

Many women in situations of domestic violence are unwilling to leave their beloved animals behind. Studies have shown that 48% of domestic violence victims delay leaving abusive relationships in part due to concern for their pets' welfare.

When Jen Rice — a rescue-cat owner and founder of the domestic violence charity My Cat Kyle — learned this, she knew she needed to do something about it.

Rice adopted her cat Kyle in 2010. When she learned he was rescued from an abusive home, she did some digging online about women and their animals in domestic violence situations.

Photo courtesy of Jen Rice.

She was shocked that resources weren't available for women and their pets. "As a pet owner, I empathized. While I've personally never been in such a situation, I could relate because Kyle is like my child. I had to do something about it," Rice says.

Kyle and his mustachioed good cause have become somewhat of an internet sensation.

Photo courtesy of Jen Rice.

Thanks to Kyle's celebrity, Rice raises money by selling My Cat Kyle swag and accepts donations for organizations like URINYC and Red Rover, which tackle the process of untangling the red tape associated with bringing pets on site at domestic abuse shelters.

The goal is to make more women’s shelters animal-friendly.

This work is important because on top of the emotional attachment they feel toward their pet, women often experience fear and guilt at the thought of leaving an animal with their abuser.

“Many people who are in domestic violence situations report that their abuser has threatened, injured, or killed their pet," Rice explains. "So not only are you separated, but you're putting your pet in danger. It's like condemning your pet to death."

Further, Rice says, when pets are left behind, they're used as a tool of emotional distress to manipulate victims into coming back.

Rice's quest goes beyond simply helping a woman leave an abusive relationship. It extends into the recovery process too.

"The reality is an animal's presence is very therapeutic," says Rice. Allowing a survivor of domestic abuse to keep their pet in shelter reduces the chances of returning to the dangerous situation and also releases the woman from further ties or control that the abuser may have over them.  

There are enough barriers in the way of an escape route from an abusive relationship. With the help of donations to places like My Cat Kyle, Rice hopes to remove some of the fear women have in leaving violent situations and to help clear the way for those hurting in silence.

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