Street Harassment Event in Asheville, NC

Are you in North Carolina? If so, on April 10, you can check out this free street harassment event in Asheville called “Hey Baby!: Resisting Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces, One Bloque at a Time.”

“A bunch of people I know were talking about sexual harassment in our neighborhood, especially downtown and in West Asheville,” Erin Johnson, one of the organizers  said. “We were frustrated by how we felt unsafe, even in groups of people. So we thought, ‘What are some ways that we can take the frustration and anger and make something productive?’”

But the art included in the event that will take place at Asheville BookWorks on April 10 isn’t meant to be hung on a gallery wall; it’s designed to be taken to the streets and be used as tools to prevent, resist or educate.

She views this exhibit as “the first step, raising awareness, and doing it through art,” she said.

For the event, Johnson is making magnetic bumper stickers that respond to particular instances of sexual harassment that she’s experienced riding her bike around downtown Asheville, she said. The magnets display such phrases as “You sexually harassed me,” which can be placed on a vehicle but can be removed by the offending occupant.

That way, “they have to interact with (the magnet) and have to think about it,” she said.

The organizers will be accepting submissions until Wednesday.

Other pieces already accepted include posters with radical cheerleading chants, bike flags and business cards with instructions for appropriate interaction, Johnson said.

The event will also include a viewing of a documentary as well as workshops about what to do if you are sexually harassed and ways to start a conversation about the issue, she said.”

I wish I could attend, it sounds like it will be a great event.

Where: Asheville BookWorks, 428 1/2 Haywood Road. When: 7-10 p.m. April 10. For more: To submit works, contact Erin Johnson at ejohnson00@gmail.com or drop work off at BookWorks 1-4 p.m. by April 8. For more information, call 255-8444 or visit www.AshevilleBookWorks.com.