By Natasha Vianna, SSH Correspondent
On Saturday, I joined Hollaback! Boston for an International Anti-Street Harassment Week chalk walk at the Christopher Columbus Park. As we all happily chalked messages to passersby, a couple stopped in front of our chalk designs and began a conversation:
Woman: reading the chalk “Hey baby is no way to say hello.”
Man: Haha. What is this?
Woman: An anti-street harassment campaign, I guess.
Man: What for?
Woman: To stop street harassment.
Man: I’ve never been harassed on the street.
Woman: I think that’s the point. Women are harassed on the street and most men don’t realize that they’re either the harasser or that they just never have to deal with harassment.
As I knelt on the ground with chalk in my hand, writing phrases and sharing experiences with the sidewalk, these very moments made me smile from ear-to-ear. Our goal was to spark conversation and stimulate dialogue while sharing tidbits of information in a positive and non-traditional way. Needless to say, it worked amazingly well.
A few people stopped to ask questions, some tourists picked up a piece of chalk and joined us, while others read silently, smiled, and kept walking. It was an amazing feeling when young girls and women of all ages stopped to read and felt compelled to smile and take pictures.
The message was sent and received.
Natasha Vianna, a fearless activist and young feminist, is a freelance writer and blogger based out of Boston, MA. Follow her on twitter!
