STATE OF THE
STREETS 2014
A Letter from EMILY
& ALLISON
Dear Supporters, It is with great pride that we present this year’s State of the Streets Report -- and share with you the incredible work of our leaders globally.
HEY HOLLABACK!’ERS! As you find out what awesome work Hollaback! has been up to over the past year, you also need to find the office cat hiding in one of the photos! And remember folks, cats are always against cat-calling. Good luck!
As you may already know, our site leaders operate under a decentralized leadership model where they are encouraged to disrupt local patterns and set the foundation for grassroots leadership in the newly emerging field of street harassment. Over the past four years we’ve watched as their collective power has become increasingly difficult for large institutions to ignore – and has resulted in real policy change. For example, in NYC, the New York City Council funded Hollaback! to re-launch our apps in August 2013 so that when you report your harassment to Hollaback!, you can also opt into reporting it directly to the council member in the district in which you were harassed. In Brussels, the Belgian Council of Ministers approved a proposal for a law that will explicitly include sexism as a punishable offense. The legislation also makes it possible for victims of sexual harassment or similar harassment in public spaces to claim for damages on a flat-rate basis. And in London, local Hollaback! leaders worked with the government, creating Project Guardian. Together they developed a reporting hotline and trained 2,000 officers who police the city’s public transport network to deal with sexual offenses. With your support, Hollaback! continues to lead the way on efforts to end street harassment with innovative public works, creative community projects, and a global band of strong and united leaders. We are excited to take the next steps of this critical movement, and we’re excited to stand beside you as we do it. Thank you for contributing to our momentum. We are so grateful for your support.
Emily and Allison
Executive Director and Board Chair of Hollaback!
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AROUND THE WORLD
ARGENTINA Buenos Aires AUSTRALIA Melbourne BAHAMAS BELGIUM Brussels, Gent BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
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CANADA Alberta, Halifax NS, Hamilton ON, Montreal QC, Niagara ON, Ottawa ON, Toronto ON, Vancouver BC, Victoria BC, Winnipeg MB
COLOMBIA Bogota
CZECH REPUBLIC
INDIA Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Mumbai, Pathankot
FRANCE
ISRAEL
GERMANY Berlin, Chemnitz, Dresden
IRAN IRELAND Dublin
GUYANA
ITALY
CROATIA
KOREA
SOUTH AFRICA
MOROCCO Marrakesh
POLAND
MEXICO México D.F., Querétaro NEPAL Kathmandu NEW ZEALAND Wellington
TURKEY Istanbul
UNITED KINGDOM Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Gwynedd, Hull University, London, Sheffield, University of London Union
UNITED STATES Appalachian Ohio, Athens GA, Atlanta, GA, Austin TX, Berkeley, CA, Baltimore MD, Boston MA, Chicago IL, Cleveland OH, Columbia MO, Des Moines IA, Durham & Chapel Hill NC, East Lansing MI,
Fredericksburg VA, Houston TX, Los Angeles CA, Muncie IN, New York City NY New York University, Philadelphia PA, Pittsburgh PA, Plattsburgh NY, Richmond VA, San Francisco CA Tucson AZ, Twin Cities MN
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History, Mission, Vision “Being part of the international Hollaback! movement which is unique and pioneering in many ways, has given me the confidence to address the issue of sexual violence at a very creative and effective level, following the example and collaborating with people from all around the world is truly empowering.” Gabriela Duhart - Hollaback! Mexico City Our history Hollaback! began as a conversation among four young women and three young men in 2005. As the women told story after story of street harassment, the men became increasingly concerned. Samuel Carter, now a Board Member at Hollaback!, said quite simply, “You live in a different city than we do.” Collectively, the group resolved to create a better city that would be safer for everyone. Around this same time, a woman named Thao Nguyen bravely stood up to her harasser. She photographed a man masturbating across from her on the subway and brought the photo to the police, only to be turned away. She then posted the image to Flickr, and it eventually appeared on the front page of the New York Daily News. Inspired by Thao’s story, the youth who would become the founders of Hollaback! decided to follow Thao’s example and combat all forms of harassment in public space, documenting these experiences of harassment on a public blog. In 2010, co-founder Emily May became Hollaback!’s first Executive Director and expanded the Hollaback! network internationally.
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mission
Hollaback! is a movement to end street harassment powered by a network of local activists around the world. We work together to better understand street harassment, to ignite public conversations, and to develop innovative strategies to ensure equal access to public spaces. "Hollaback! as a movement has inspired me to create social change in my community. Hollaback! has validated my discomfort with street harassment and given me the tools to collaborate with other community organizations to address harassment and violence in the public space." Lauren Alston - Hollaback! Alberta vision
We envision a world where street harassment is not tolerated and where we all enjoy equal access to public spaces.
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By The Numbers Transparency & Honesty
Hollaback exists in 79 cities and in 26 countries operating in 14 different languages We have...
33,009 Facebook Fans 13,132 Twitter Followers 6,965 Stories Shared Online
The Movement Hollaback! is more than a nonprofit organization--it’s a movement. With an
Over the past year, Hollaback!’s global network has had:
international, decentralized model that inspires local activists to make
119 Rallies and Marches
change in their communities, Hollaback! has sites in 79 cities, 26 countries,
319 Press Hits
and 6 continents! Each site has a leader or leaders who set up the website,
31 Projects and Campaigns
facebook, and twitter for their Hollaback! location and translate our materials
152 Events
into their language. Then, in each different community, those site leaders lead debates, participate in grassroots activism, collect stories, and speak to government officials to enact change. Each site is trained by the mothership, AKA our home office in New York City.
“Hollaback! has given me the support and brand-backing I needed to build a platform in The Bahamas to address street harassment and other gender-based issues experienced with knowledge, creativity, and boldness. Since becoming a part of the Hollaback! movement, I have been able to turn the challenges I, and so many others, face on a daily basis into opportunities to impact the lives of others through education, awareness building, and strategic actions.” Alicia Wallace - Hollaback! Bahamas 6
Our site leaders are... 78% under the age of 30 36% LGTBQIA 29% people of color, and 17% have disabilities
“I love being part of the global Hollaback! team! It's endlessly inspiring, encouraging, and empowering to connect and collaborate with so many amazing activists within the Holla community and locally.” Hermie Escamilla - Hollaback! Houston 7
The Movement Hollaback! offers people all over the world a platform to share their stories of street harassment. Everyday, people submit these narratives to our site leaders, continuing the movement with their willingness to speak up about their personal experiences. When people share their stories on our website, they’re welcomed into a community of awesome supporters. These are just a few stories among the 6,965 that sites have received since the founding of Hollaback! Tucson, AZ: I was with my partner outside a grocery store. My partner was upset at the time, and I was comforting her (hugging, kissing, etc.). I had noticed a car was circling the parking lot waiting for someone, but they kept driving past us. After a while they kept saying, “Kiss her!” and smiling with other remarks I could not hear. It was very uncomfortable. Melbourne, Australia: I used to catch the bus to and from uni everyday. I was sitting on a seat along the side of the bus, and a guy was sitting on a seat along the back...all of a sudden, [he] lunged towards me and tried to kiss me. I slid really fast along the seats and said loudly, “What are you doing?!” He said, “Sorry, I had to do that” and got off the bus. I was shaking, upset and embarrassed. No one else on the bus said or did anything, even after he’d left. It really creeped me out thinking that he must have been watching me all along, and I didn’t notice because I was reading. Chennai, India: I was travelling in a bus that was so very full around 2 in the afternoon. I barely had any place to stand. There was this man around 35-40 years of age standing behind me. He was taking advantage of the lack of space in the vehicle, and then he did the unimaginable. He unzipped his pants and started rubbing his “private part” against me. I was totally appalled and upset by this behavior. I felt my fingers go numb. I went totally blank. Only then did something hit me, and I stamped his leg real hard. Only then did he back off. 8
“This year I returned to college to pursue a new career. My experiences with Hollaback! have taught me so much about myself and the work I want to be doing. I've learned more about my community, I've picked up practical skills, and I'm better able to define what my personal values are.” Rebecca Faria - Hollaback! Halifax 9
Street Harassment Avengers in Action With 79 sites in 26 countries, Hollaback! has a lot to be proud of. Our badass site leaders are fighting street harassment with their 2013 JUL
Hollaback! hosted HOLLA::Rev, our first ever international speaker series on street harassment!
Hollaback! Baltimore launched their Safer Spaces Campaign. The campaign seeks to build a network of supportive non-threatening environments and spaces within Baltimore
Hollaback! Philly created Harasser Cards which are given to not only harassers to educate them on their wrongdoing but also to bystanders for standing up against harassers.
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AUG
Hollaback! Des Moines hosted an Open Mic Night that provided a space for patrons to get up on stage and share their stories of street harassment.
Hollaback! Boston started their Take Back the Bar campaign to combat the harassment many have experienced in bars.
Hollaback! Winnipeg’s site leader Jodie Layne gave an amazing TEDx Talk on rape culture and sex positivity.
incredible work, including innovative campaigns, legislative advocacy, and educational outreach. Each is taking the movement by storm!
SEP
OCT
Hollaback! Appalachian Ohio painted badass street art around the city.
Hollaback! Chennai hosted Hollaback! Fridays at a local bar where patrons were asked why they supported Hollaback! and learned how to be good bystanders to street harassment.
Hollaback! Brussels and Gent participated in a “Rise Against Rape” rally to bring justice to rape survivors whose perpetrators have been let free because of Belgium's biased judicial system.
Hollaback! Executive Director Emily May gave a TEDx City 2.0 talk about street harassment as she accepted her TEDx City 2.0 award!
Hollaback! NYU helped get a rape crisis center on campus, after months of promoting a petition for one at their school.
Hollaback! Alberta participated in Take Back the Night Edmonton.
NOV
Hollaback! Ottawa hosted a Cosplay=/=Consent event that brought awareness to the harassment women face at Comic Cons.
Hollaback! Melbourne organized a free self defense class for the community.
Hollaback! Philly presented at the Philadelphia City Council Hearing on street harassment.
DEC
We welcomed 14 new sites into the Hollaback! family.
Hollaback! Gent organized a workshop on Feminism and Self Confidence as part of their site’s one year anniversary.
Hollaback! Brussels participated along with a dozen other groups in “March of Silence,” calling for an end to rape culture.
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2014 JAN
Hollaback! Gent co-signed the Rainbow Charter against homophobia, a cooperation between the City Administration for Equality, police, schools, and several partner organizations working for LGBTQ rights.
Hollaback! Mumbai hosted a Tweet-a-thon that revolved around equality, discrimination, and safety in public spaces.
Hollaback! Berlin gave a talk titled Julia Brilling: Everyday Sexism, Street Harassment and Hollaback! Movement!
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FEB
MAR
Hollaback! Czech Republic spoke out against cyber violence at One Billion Rising.
Hollaback! London launched their Good Night Out Campaign, which targets harassment in venues, pubs, bars and clubs.
Hollaback! Appalachian Ohio held a Geography of Street Harassment on the female body workshop.
Hollaback! Philly co-organized Human Trafficking in the United States speaker series.
Hollaback! ULU hosted Riot Night Reloaded, a badass night of music and female empowerment.
Hollaback! Appalachian Ohio screened their documentary about street harassment called On the Catwalk at the Ohio University International Women’s Day Celebration.
APR
We welcomed 8 new sites into the Hollaback! family!
Hollaback! Philly launched an awesome anti-street harassment transit ad campaign.
The Mothership held a rally with over 500 attendees in honor of international anti-street harassment week.
MAY
Ami Wazlawik of Hollaback! Twin Cities was chosen as Minnesota NOW’s 2014 Feminist of the Year.
The second hugely successful HOLLA::Rev was held in NYC. Nearly 200 people attended the event!
Hollaback! Durham and Chapel Hill organized a Screen + Print video screening and shirt printing workshop for Sexual Assault Awareness.
JUN
Hollaback! Berlin held an anti-street harassment art event called “My Name is not Baby!” with street artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh.
Hollaback! Vancouver held their very first chalk walk!
Hollaback! Columbus also held a chalk walk advocating for LGBTQ rights.
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MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE We understand that the reason no one has tried to end street harassment yet is because they think it’s impossible. We think that’s bogus, and we’re united in our belief that a world without street harassment isn’t just possible, it’s imminent. Our job is to work together to speed the process up. A BUNCH OF PEOPLE THAT LOOK ALIKE DOES NOT A MOVEMENT MAKE We will not fight street harassment at the expense of other movements. We are flamboyantly anti-racist, anti-classist, anti-homophobic, and anti- all the other forms of discrimination that are designed to keep people ‘in their place.’ We seek to understand street harassment from every possible perspective, and seek to represent our movement with as wide and diverse a constituency as possible. A CULTURE OF BADASS We believe that everyone has a right to be their
Shoutout to Sites
most badass self, and that the movement to end street harassment will be led like all the other movements that have come before it: by badasses. We embrace bold ideas and encourage risk-taking. We aren’t afraid of our own
This year, we’re highlighting the work of Hollaback! New York City, Korea,
individual strengths and we aren’t afraid to use our collective power to make
Bahamas, Appalachian Ohio, London & University of London Union, and
the world a better place.
Croatia. These sites exemplify Hollaback!’s core values through their hard work, creativity, and dedication to the movement. Each site has designed unique programs, given talks, and engaged their communities in many different ways in an effort to combat everyday gendered violence. On the next few pages we’ll explore just what these sites have been up to over the past year.
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"I was always told that I should change MY activities and actions to avoid experiencing street harassment. Hollaback! gave me the right words to counter those people and gave me the confidence that I am not the only one who feels that we need to make noise about changing THEM instead of US!" Priyanka Silmi - Appalachian Ohio
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WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK Making revolution isn’t always easy. It’s scary to tell your story, and it’s scary to lead a movement that challenges the status quo. When times get tough, we stand as a united front against the forces that try to pull us apart. We embrace others’ perspectives, see debate as a learning opportunity, and we never, ever get holier-than-thou. FOLLOWERS ARE THE NEW LEADERS It’s not the leaders alone who build movements, it’s the followers. We are committed to supporting followers to become new leaders, who can then turn their followers into new leaders, and so on and so forth until street harassment is toast. TRANSPARENCY AND HONESTY Movements require trust, and trust is earned. Whether you are a reader, a contributor, a funder, a legislator, a local leader, or a partner, we promise you honesty and transparency. We’re 16
terrible liars, anyway.
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Hollaback! NYC
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Making the Impossible Possible Leaders
“Here in New York City -- we're pushing the
Emily May
boundaries of what's possible, and shaping the course
Executive Director
for the movement to end street harassment. We're out
Debjani Roy
in the community, listening to every story. And we're
Deputy Director
in city hall, making sure that those stories are heard,
Jae Cameron
and that legislative solutions focus on preventing
Program Associate
street harassment, not criminalizing it.” - Emily May Hollaback! NYC, known by our site leaders as the “Mothership,” is the base of operations for Hollaback!, and is on the front lines of anti-street harassment work, making the impossible possible. In the last year alone, Hollaback! NYC has: Trained the future leaders of the anti-street harassment movement: This year, Hollaback! NYC has trained over 100 site leaders, launching 24 new sites around the world. We are currently wrapping up Class 11 of training and are set to launch an additional 15 sites in December. Engaged Elected officials: Hollaback! staff created street harassment heat maps for all NYC city council members, and met with 15 legislators individually to discuss street harassment in their district. Hollaback! also presented to the women’s caucus and LGBTQ caucus. This summer, we worked with Council Member Cumbo to hold a “Girl Power” event in her
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district with Tatyana Fazlalizadeh. During the event, Hollaback! NYC held small story sharing groups with young girls to discuss street harassment. The event culminated in a wheat pasting tutorial, where the girls wrote their responses to street harassment on posters spread around Brooklyn. Hollaback! NYC is currently in conversation with the Commissioner on Domestic Violence to create anti-street harassment messaging throughout the city. Raised Community Awareness and Engagement: In May 2014, Hollaback! NYC held the second annual HOLLA::Revolution speaker’s series. The sold out event featured 12 speakers with the goal of expanding understandings of street harassment. HOLLA::Rev 2014 included representatives from All Out, Catapult, Harlow Project, Hollaback! sites, Stop Telling Women to Smile, Sydnie L. Mosley Dances, the Trans Women of Color Collective, and more. Audience members described the event as “inspiring,” “diverse,” and “empowering.” Hollaback! NYC will hold HOLLA::Revolution next year in London. Led the Way in Thought Leadership: This year, Hollaback! NYC’s deputy director Debjani Roy created HOLLA 101: An Educator’s Guide to Street Harassment. The guide offered definitions for street harassment, best practices for bystander intervention, appropriate interventions and support systems, and suggestions for ways to take action. HOLLA 101 was released alongside a series of posters and pamphlets and distributed to over 200 NYC middle and high schools this year. Since the publication of the guide, we have distributed 1,000 posters and 1,500 pamphlets. In addition, we trained over 300 students and over 150 educators and parents around New York City. 20
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Hollaback! Korea
A bunch of people that look alike does not a movement make Leaders
Chelle B. Millie Maria Lisak Reshma Kamath Jin Kim Kaley LaQuea Jessica Fong
“Hollaback! Korea hopes to spread awareness of street harassment, adding to the progress achieved by domestic organizations like Korea Women’s Hotline in tackling issues of workplace sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention education. By serving a demographically diverse community of supporters, we hope to engage Korea’s Multicultural Policy while raising awareness of racism, nationalism, sexism, homophobia and gender discrimination.”
English Hollaback! accessible to a Korean speaking population. Through countless hours and lots of effort, the Hollaback! Korea staff was able to translate the standard Hollaback! website and app into Korean for the use of their communities.
“I support Hollaback! because everyone should feel safe in public space. Hollaback!'s organizing achievements are spectacular. They have grown the anti street harassment movement by providing native leaders with access to resources, including training and digital tools, and receiving back invaluable data, creative problem solving, and leadership. They are a role model for the future of global organizing!” - Cameron Russell, Model
-Chelle B. Mille Hollaback! Korea recently joined the Hollaback! family this past December. Since Korea has the widest diaspora in the world, a long history of transnational adoption, and diverse in and out migration flows, it’s a main goal of Hollaback! Korea to be as inclusive as possible. About 1/3 of their volunteers were born and raised in Korea, 1/3 are ethnically Korean but raised overseas, and about 1/3 were expats from 6 different countries, and these volunteers are scattered all across the country in order to address street harassment the ground level. Since its inception, Hollaback! Korea has tackled major these major projects: Translated the Website and App into Korean When Hollaback! Korea was formed, they had the difficult obstacle of making the predominantly 22
Hosted Street Harassment Workshops at Two Colleges South Korea is often challenged by a history of regionalism, so Hollaback! Korea was very proud to have held information sessions on college campuses in both Seoul and Gwangju. To celebrate their 6 month anniversary, Hollaback! Korea held two workshops in Gwangju where they taught 180 members about the causes and effects of street harassment, shared street harassment stories, and discussed ways in which the community needed to band together to end street harassment. They partnered with the Gwangju International Center (GIC) and Chosun University. The event at the GIC was a great mix of nearly 60 female and male community members that were about half Korean nationals, half expats, and a great mix of community members ranging in age from early 20s to late 60s. Their workshop at Chosun University introduced the issue of street harassment to 120 Social Work majors in their 20s and 30s. 23
Hollaback! Bahamas
on issues of gender-based violence and discrimination
Culture of Badass
over the past four months. The Coalition has initiated
Leaders
international agencies for support and protests demanding
Alicia Wallace
“Those who are happy to sit quietly are welcome to it, but I do not recommend standing in the way of those who are ready and willing to act. They may be tired of hearing about it, but that will never trump the women who are tired of being beaten, the children tired of watching their mothers cover bruises, or the people who feel powerless, or those carrying the burden of shame or guilt. Their exhaustion does not faze us.
action. Local newspaper, television news and radio talk show media coverage has been extensive. They have also been on Bahamas at Sunrise (live television), Global Talk on Sports Radio, and Jeffrey (radio talk show) to name a few. Co-Hosted the Protect Women and Children Event Hollaback! Bahamas co-hosted the Protect Women &
We speak for the voiceless.� -Alicia Wallace
Children Event, which offered a public forum for those
Hollaback! Bahamas was the 25th country to join
stories and learn more about the ill-effects of gender-based
the Hollaback! Movement. They have been working relentlessly in their community to disseminate a culture of badass. Hollaback! Bahamas has been expanding the network of organizations and individuals working to end gender based violence
affected by domestic violence and child abuse to share their violence. Attendees were invited to share their ideas for raising awareness, getting the attention of the government, and bringing an end to violence against women. People from various walks of life attended throughout the day to hear speakers, join the discussions, and watch videos on the
in The Bahamas. In the past year they have:
topic. Other notable attendees included the Women's
Empowered Young Girls Hollaback! Bahamas has
opposition-appointed sitting senator, a former Member of
made presentations at The College of the Bahamas sociology class, Sugar & Spice girls empowerment retreat and FOCUS summer youth program. Participants were engaged and excited to give their thoughts on the effects of street harassment, even sharing their own experiences. Messages of empowerment and bystander intervention were well
Bureau (on behalf of Ministry of Social Services), an Parliament and Speaker of the House of Assembly and a U.S. Embassy employee. Violence is Not Funny Hollaback! Bahamas led a campaign to hold legislators accountable for saying that domestic violence and violence against women are a joke. They held a protest calling public attention to the poor leadership of
received, and overall it was incredibly successful.
their legislators. Hollaback! Bahamas also crafted a petition
Worked with The Coalition to End Gender-Based
legislators. Their actions resensitized the issue of domestic
Violence & Discrimination Hollaback! Bahamas has 24
proposals to government, petitions to the public, contact to
been at the forefront in addressing the government
calling for the Prime Minister to act swiftly and denounce violence in The Bahamas. 25
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Hollaback! Appalachian Ohio We’ve Got Your Back
Women's Center, Multicultural Center, and Office of Student Life. Site leader Sarah Fick presented on this campaign during a peer to peer call for recipients of the Ohio Department of Health’s Rape Prevention Education grant and was met with great praise.
Leaders
Sarah Fick Katrina Kadisevskis Gwen Storch Kazi Priyanka Silmi Acie Middleton Nancy Gomez Devin Aeh
“Whether you need a community of support that will listen and care, a workshop for a group of teens to share, or a badass bystander move with flair, Hollaback! Appalachian Ohio has got your back,
After calling for show submission about personal experiences of street harassment and visions of safer streets, Hollaback!
and we hope you'll have ours too.” -Sarah Fick
Appalachian Ohio received 58 art pieces from 23 different artists
Since joining the team in April 2013, the folks at
BFA thesis, submissions from girls ages 8-14 from their Girl Power
Hollaback! Appalachian Ohio have consistently exhibited a keen awareness of the needs of their community. They have reached out to those in their area and conducted extensive trainings. These leaders devote their work to consensus building and collective work, truly showing their community that they’ve got their back. Hollaback! Appalachian Ohio
of all ages and abilities. Included in the exhibition were a woman’s after school program, and pieces from the women incarcerated at Southeast Ohio Regional Jail, at which they host a support/ educational group. Casa Nueva, a popular restaurant and bar in the area, featured the art for all of April. Developed and implemented a curriculum for Trimble High School Trimble is the poorest school in Athens County, a
has accomplished a lot since they started:
community plagued by problems with poverty, drugs, and corrupt
Added two new community partners to their Safer
Hollaback! Appalachian Ohio designed a curriculum for high
Spaces campaign and partnered with FUCKRAPECULTURE Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery and O’Betty’s Red Hot joined Hollaback! Appalachian Ohio’s Safer Spaces campaign, after completed the training program on supporting survivors and bystander intervention, aligning their space with the campaign, and declaring their commitment to ending genderbased harassment. The site also has also fostered a partnership with FUCKRAPECULTURE, a student organization at Ohio University. They will be working with them and Ohio University Survivor Advocacy to adapt their Safer Spaces campaign to university 28
Hosted an art show as a part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month
spaces such as sororities and fraternities through the
law enforcement. Sexual assault statistics are outrageous here. school health classes, and Trimble was the first school to accept the offer. The site now teaches three 1.5 hour workshops twice each year on topics such as street harassment, rape culture, and bystander intervention. Men receive their own classes on healthy masculinity, consent, breaking down gender stereotypes, and flirting without harassing. Women receive self defense training, including assertive communication tactics as well as physical self defense. Both spaces are trans-inclusionary. Students have been very receptive to the program, disclosing their own experiences with gender-based harassment and violence. The site plans to expand their program with Trimble High School next year by providing two more trans-inclusionary after school programs. 29
Hollaback! London & University of London Union Followers Are the New Leaders London Leaders
Bryony Beynon Julia Gray
“We know from experience that if you empower people to take control of their own situation, they will tell you what they need to happen and become advocates for others in the same situation, ultimate-
ULU Leaders
Susuana Antubam
ly helping us to push harder for change together. Everything we do is based on mutual aid and cooperation.” -Bryony Beynon
London and ULU have made unlikely businesses such as bars and nightclubs
around 20 other campaign leaders to deliver Good Night Out to their local areas. Encouraged reporting of harassment on public transportation through partnership and ad campaign Hollaback! London participated in this project with the British Transport Police and Transport for London. They have launched a campaign to raise awareness about street harassment on public transport, provide more options for travelers to report, and train staff to better handle these reports. Based on this information, they intend to make arrests, prosecute perpetrators of assault, and implement bans on certain routes for repeat offenders. Hollaback! London has functioned as a project advisor, helping to formulate the key messages of the campaign, instruct on how to best support those who report, and develop media.
into leaders in the street harassment movement through their Good Night
Began a campus-wide conversation about sexual harassment through
Out campaign. This very successful program allows typically seedy venues
questionnaire Released in 2013, a cross-campus questionnaire released by
to take a lead and set the trend for creating safe spaces for all. Having
Hollaback! ULU for students in the University of London aimed to gauge
establishments agree to undergo training and commit to doing something
incidence of sexual harassment on and near the campus. The site wrote a
about sexual harassment is a big win for the movement. They hope other
report with recommendations for the school based on students’ responses.
businesses and establishments will take note and follow the trend, eventually
Sexual harassment on campus was a common experience for many, and the
becoming leaders themselves. Here are some ways they’ve inspired
majority of students said that policies and procedures on sexual harassment
conversations and actions surrounding the issue of street harassment:
were not widely known or clear. Attitudes and trust in reporting procedures prevent many students from coming forward, and ULU is working to improve
Tackled harassment in London’s nightlife through the Good Night Out campaign This Hollaback! London initiative is the first of its kind in the UK and has developed into a national movement. The campaign is a coordinated action to address harassment and assault in bars, music venues, and clubs throughout London. Hollaback! London is working with locations across the city to train staff on how to support their customers in the event of harassment or assault. Hollaback! London Union joined in to create the Good Night Out Student Staff training guide, developing the campaign to cater to school settings. The guide is focused on educating staff that work at students’ unions about issues involving sexual harassment, how to be supportive, and avoiding victim-blaming rhetoric. Currently, Hollaback! London is training 30
this situation. Hosted art exhibit to share experiences of street harassment Hollaback! ULU featured Goldsmiths University of London Graduate Ren Aldridge’s “Give Us a Smile Love.” The exhibition included a series of connected interactive art pieces that offer a platform for viewers to relay their own experiences of and thoughts on street harassment. ULU facilitated both physical and digital mapping projects, a cumulative video project, and a continuous conversation piece on the exhibit. Alongside the indoor exhibition, a large wood and metal sculpture made up of 3D letters reading “GIVE US A SMILE” was displayed on the university’s land near the union for over a week.
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Hollaback! Croatia Transparency and Honesty
Participated in seminar discussions at two activist festivals: Two highly publicized festivals invited Hollaback! Croatia to host discussion panels about feminism, street harassment, and activism in November. At the first, a famous feminist art and culture
Leaders
Barbara Perasović Jelena Causevic Ines Virag
“Croatia is a small country with a mostly patriarchal mentality...so it is difficult to address these kinds of problems. But, as we can see here and everywhere in Hollaback!, you only need one or a few interested individuals to start a movement and become an activist. Don't take the passive role. Engage in activism and rebel against harassment that women face on the streets every day.” -Ines Virag
Croatia is dealing with a unique climate when it comes to addressing street harassment. They are navigating through a particular set of challenges, including operating within a country that is a bit further away from striking up a city or nation-wide conversation around street harassment. Despite these hurdles, Hollaback! Croatia is still taking programs that have worked in places where these conversations are happening and scaling them in a culturally and linguistically specific way. Such an effort takes an incredible amount of work and resilience. They wouldn't be accomplishing all of this without a sense of honesty and transparency--knowing where they are so they can see where they need to go. This Year’s Accomplishments: Organized first chalk walk to raise awareness of street harassment: Hollaback! Croatia held their very first chalk walk in May. A local college offered their parking lot to the effort, and the event was highly successful. This chalk walk was a major event for the site, and they hope this was the first of many chalk walks. 34
festival, site leader Ines Virag presented on the Hollaback! movement as part of a discussion entitled “Theory vs. Practice.” Site leader Jelena Causevic lectured on the topic “Gender-Based Street Harassment--Why and How to Talk about It?” at the anti-fascist Antifa Festival. Both were met with great receptivity and support. Hosted a viewing of the documentary War Zone and facilitated a discussion: Zangreb community members attended Hollaback! Croatia’s screening of War Zone and participated in a discussion about its content. The documentary follows the filmmaker as she asks men why they harass women on the streets. This event resulted in an invitation from an NGO to hold a workshop as part of the "Youth in Action" program founded by the European Union. Gained two participating locations in their Safer Spaces campaign: At the beginning of 2014, Hollaback! Croatia launched their Safer Spaces campaign. This initiative connects Hollaback! with establishments around Zagreb in order to make places that are typically hotbeds of harassment safer for everyone. So far they have educated staff at two clubs on how to respond to gender-based harassment and violence without victim-blaming. They also provided venues with educational materials such as instructions on what to do in an interview with a victim of harassment, a flyer with statistics about street harassment, the official Hollaback! guide for employers, and an anti-street harassment poster for the establishment. They are currently collaborating with a third club and hope to reach out to even more! 35
New This Year We added an incredible 23 locations to the Hollaback! family over the past year! Give us a hand in congratulating our newest sites! December 2013: Hollaback! Austin (Texas, USA) Hollaback! Bengaluru (India) Hollaback! Durham and Chapel Hill (North Carolina, USA) Hollaback! Guyana Hollaback! Houston (Texas, USA) Hollaback! Iran Hollaback! Korea Hollaback! Mumbai (India) Hollaback! Muncie (Indiana, USA) Hollaback! Niagara (Ontario, Canada) Hollaback! Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, USA) Hollaback! Tucson (Arizona, USA) Hollaback! University of London Union (UK) Hollaback! Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)
April 2014: Hollaback! East Lansing (Michigan, USA) Hollaback! Columbus (Ohio, USA) Hollaback! Plattsburgh (New York, USA) Hollaback! Cleveland (Ohio, USA) Hollaback! Hull University (UK) Hollaback! Bristol (UK) Hollaback! Bahamas Hollaback! Marrakesh (Morocco)
“Hollaback! is a force and a great resource for women who want to end street harassment.� Jessica Williams, Comedian & Daily Show Correspondent
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Next Steps At Hollaback! we are dedicated to finding innovative new ways to build the anti-street harassment movement. In the coming year we hope to: 1. Work in schools: Over the next two years, Hollaback! aims to continue providing workshops and trainings to NYC educators and students. We will work alongside three NYC schools to measure impact and generate best-practices reports for NYC students facing harassment. With this increased training, we hope to provide a measurable change in school climate, increasing attendance and feelings of safety. 2. Updated apps: Hollaback! plans to update their free iPhone and Android apps to allow for faster reporting. Imagine reporting street harassment with a touch of a button and being able to share your data and personal maps with others! The app is scheduled to launch in Spring 2015. 3. Know Your Rights Guide: Hollaback! and the Thomson Reuters Foundation collaborated on the first ever global “Know Your Rights” guide on street harassment. The guide compiles the latest legal definitions and information on all forms of street harassment across 22 countries and in 12 languages. 4. Launch Online Harassment Bystander Platform: Recognizing that online harassment limits free speech, Hollaback! is creating a platform to encourage bystander intervention for online harassment. The platform is currently being built and tested. 5. Research with Cornell: Hollaback! is partnering with Cornell to create a large scale, global survey on street harassment that will allow us to compare street harassment across cultures. 6. POC Leadership Pipeline: As part of our site leader training series, Hollaback! will offer a people of color leadership pipeline, including support groups, thought leadership sessions, and targeted webinars and trainings. 7. Vlog series: Stay tuned this year for Hollaback!’s “Love and Revolution” vlogging series. The series will cover topics such as: “street harassment 101,” “bystander activism” and “how to build a movement.” We can’t wait! 38
"Hollaback! articulates the problem of street harassment as no one has before and offers solutions at the same time. It's a one-stop shop for revolution!" - Jennifer Baumgardner, EIC Feminist Press
Resources Ashoka Fellowship $150,000 (over 3 years) Caruso $10,000 Catapult $50,000 Eileen Fisher $2,500 Ford Foundation, Institute of International Education $10,000 Lifeway $1,500 New Media Ventures $25,000 New York City Council $42,500 NYWF $65,000 Prime Movers, A Program of Hunt Alternatives $60,000 (over 2 years) Up the Rivers Endeavors $21,000 Voqal $50,000 39
Pro-Bono Team We receive over half a million dollars per year in in-kind support. We want to take a moment to thank a few of our volunteers: Samuel Carter, program management Corinne Colgan, videographer Charlotte Dorville, translator Katherine Filaseta, educator Alexis Grenell, communications strategist Debra Guckenheimer, evaluation consultant Rochelle Keyhan, legal advisor and researcher Lisa Levy, human resources management Sally Mandler, librarian Beth McCabe, digital strategist Kristen Meloche, art director Amex, strategic consultant Morgan Stanley, strategic consultant Morrison and Foerster, legal counsel Trust Law, legal counsel Brad Perry, marketing strategy Caitlin Rodgers, infographic design Raphi Rosenblatt, evaluation consultant Allison Sesso, legislative strategist
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HOLLA::Rev Volunteers Raquel Reichard Gabriela Calogero Nehemoyia Young Aida Mejia Lorena Garcia Amber Black Claire Vanelli Grace Cassidy Ngozi Esumonu Melanie Sperling Brianna Welch
KC Wagner, researcher Krista Bedosky, photographer Jose Valenzuela, graphic design Colleen & Eric Whitley, interior office design consultants Erin Weed, speaking coach Valerie Sesso, photographer Adam LaPalio, videographer Girls Pint Out Team, events management Courtney Young, writer and events manager Beth Livingston, researcher Maria Grillo, researcher Tanisha Love Ramirez, writer and events support Rita Pasarell, writer and legal counsel Magaly Escudero, translator Lindsay Lovel, event manager Bill Heidrich, photographer and event manager Nicola Briggs, media and events
Interns Maya Flippen Sarah Scriven Stacy Bullard Emily Shown Arielle Humphries Rebecca Ponce de Leon Jessica Alvarez
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“We work on ending street harassment on so many levels: awareness raising, movement building, mobile technology, online feminism, offline activism, arts and creativity and empowerment. And all of those things together make up the Hollaback! movement, which is pretty amazing.” Julia Brilling - Hollaback! Berlin
Staff Emily May, Co-Founder and Executive Director Emily May envisions a world free from street harassment, where everyone, particularly women and LGBTQ individuals, enjoys equal access to public space. Emily has a Master’s Degree in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and was awarded an Ashoka Fellowship and Prime Movers Fellowship in 2014.
By Erin Filson with Hollaback! Philly
Debjani Roy, Deputy Director Debjani Roy has been an advocate for women’s rights in the US and UK for over a decade. She is an expert on issues including domestic violence, sexual assault, forced marriage, “honor” based violence, sexual trafficking/forced prostitution, widows’ rights, and immigrant rights. Debjani is a graduate of the Stern School of Business at NYU and the University of London, Goldsmiths. Jae Cameron, Program Associate Jae Cameron, our Program Associate, has recently completed her Masters in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of British Columbia. She also holds a BA in Women’s and Gender Studies and English Literature from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.
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Board Allison Sesso Chair and Executive Director of the Human Services Council Raphael Rosenblatt Vice-Chair and Director of Evaluation at YearUp Esther Pang Treasurer and Business Manager at major finance firm Courtney Young Secretary, Popular culture and politics writer, and founder of Think Young Media Group Jon Atkins Former Managing Director at KCG Holdings Samuel Carter Hollaback! co-founder and Associate Director at the Rockefeller Foundation Jenny Dills Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Expert Brad Perry Strategist at Create Digital Agency Bhavna Sethi CTO of Mela Artisans and Managing Director at Cinapse LLC ADVISORY BOARD W. Kamau Bell Comedian Sandra Fluke Attorney and women’s rights activist
Sally Kohn CNN contributor and columnist for The Daily Beast Yetta Kurland Partner and civil rights attorney at “The Kurland Group,” educator, radio host, small business owner, and community activist Samhita Mukhopadhyay Senior strategist at Purpose and author of Outdated: Why Dating is Ruining Your Love Life Thao Nguyen Web Producer at Viacom Media Networks and inspiration for Hollaback! Ai-Jen Poo Executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-director of the Caring Across Generations campaign Cameron Russell Fashion model and founder and executive director of Space-Made Esta Soler Founder and president of Futures without Violence, expert on violence against women and children Erin Weed Founder of Girls Fight Back and Evoso Jamia Wilson Executive director of Youth Tech Health 43
“Hollaback! opened a door for our community to talk about street harassment. Prior to our arrival in Ottawa, nobody was addressing street harassment; including other violence against women organizations. We were able to start a city-wide conversation and it's incredibly rewarding to see the positive ripple effects.” Julie Lalonde - Hollaback! Ottawa
Now it’s time for YOU to join the movement! • Download our app and report incidents of street harassment. • Learn about bystander intervention on our website. • Find out about what local Hollaback! organizers are doing in your community and get involved. • ➢Bring Hollaback! to work with your community. • ➢Donate to support our work.
“It's the most awesome movement to end gender-based violence ever! I've never seen anything as inclusive and open as Hollaback!” Rubina Singh - Hollaback! Chandigarh
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“Hollaback! is badass, and we won't sit back till harassment is a thing of the past.� Paayas - Hollaback! Pathankot "I feel the huge energy and support through all Hollaback! branches in the world. It is great to know we are not alone, we are connected and we move toward ending street harassment together. Isn't it fantastic?" Site Leader - Hollaback! Iran
hollaback! www.ihollaback.org Twitter : @iHollaback Facebook : /iHollaback! Instagram : @iHollagram