Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

When Teachers Talk about Street Harassment, Feminism

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Street harassment is an issue many teenagers – especially teenage girls — face, but it is one that is rarely acknowledged. I am so proud to know Ileana Jiménez, Feminist Teacher, one of the few high school teachers who addresses issues like street harassment with her students, lets them share their stories, and brainstorms solutions. I’ve spoken at her school twice and she has had other street harassment activists visit her class.

You can hear about the class from her and her students in this 3 minute video produced by Elite Daily.

This work is so important. We must work with youth to break the cycle of normalcy that surrounds street harassment in our country.

She and I teamed up with AAUW last year to host the first-ever national symposium on teaching gender/feminism in high schools. We both dream of a day when students at every high school can take classes on these topics. Ileana is working hard every day to not only make this dream a reality in her classroom, but also nationally and globally by regularly presenting at conferences, traveling to places like Mexico and India to talk with educators, and giving remote advice to teachers all over the world.

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10 hours of walking as so-and-so

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There are a lot of copy-cat “10 hours of walking as so-and-so” videos being made. If someone isn’t harassed in those 10 hours, like the woman in Mumbai isn’t and the woman in New Zealand wasn’t, then some are saying street harassment isn’t a problem in that city.

Most harassed people are not harassed daily so just because they weren’t harassed while being filmed doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

Also, as I argued two weeks ago, we CANNOT rely on hidden camera videos alone to learn about #streetharassment for many reasons outlined in my article. We’d do better to talk to the people we know about their experiences and then strategize actions we can each take to help stop street harassment.

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Important Videos about Street Harassment

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Each day over the past several days there have been scores of articles about #streetharassment as well as critiques of the Hollaback! viral video released last week. Some people have said, where is the viral video about women of color?

Well, while none of these videos have gone viral yet, there are LOTS of existing videos that have been made by women of color or are about women of color’s experiences. Unfortunately, almost no one has mentioned them in the various articles I’ve read; it’s as if no videos on street harassment ever existed before the one released last week. But they do and they matter. 

And wouldn’t it be great if some of these did go viral? You can help by watching and sharing them. And of course you can always make your own!

Girls for Gender Equity’s Hey… Shorty! documentary

Nuala Cabral’s video Walking Home that even has a discussion guide.

Nuala’s group FAAN Mail has done a few more videos, including this one with teenage girls about things men have said to them and people’s stories from their soapbox event in Philadelphia in April 2014 for International Anti-Street Harassment Week.

Tracey Rose’s Black Woman Walking

Charla Harlow’s short interviews about street harassment with persons of color

Sydnie Mosely’s work on street harassment through The Window Sex Project

Here are some of her dances.

Women in San Jose share their stories

Women in the Bronx share their stories.

The Saartjie Project’s street theater

Thee Kats Meoww’s video on street harassment

Back Up! Concrete Diaries by Nijla Mumin and Monique Hazeur

The Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project’s video “Hollering Back”

Safiya Washington and Kai Davis of the Philly Youth Poetry Movement perform their poem “Stares” in Philadelphia

The Chicago Free Spirit Media teen youth’s video

DC activist Dienna Howard speaking about her experiences of street harassment as a Black woman.

Earlier this year, Dienna made her own documentary about street harassment and activism in DC.

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UK: Victim-blaming poster needs to go!

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The Manchester police department is behind this poster targeted at college students. While the poster was created a while ago, it is finally receiving much-warranted attention/criticism.

Via The Tab:

“A third year Art History student was fuming from seeing this poster after recent events: “Everyone is terrified for their own safety after the rape in Fallowfield, and this is the last thing we want to hear.

“What the hell were they thinking?! Trying to suggest that we’re asking to get raped/mugged/attacked is disgusting and insensitive.

“The uni and the police should be trying to help and support us at this time, not rudely suggesting that it’s our own fault.”

“It’s so out dated” a second year Linguistics student told The Tab. “It’s like they’re trying to be ‘down with the kids’.”

Shocked students took so social media to express their outrage, branding the poster “bad taste”.

One student on Facebook sarcastically remarked: “I, for one, am very glad that I’ve seen this poster.

“I didn’t realise that wearing a thong makes it easier for people to steal my things. I will wear more clothing in the future!””

H/T Elizabeth Plank

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