In honor of One Student’s partnership with International Anti-Street Harassment Week, we are featuring an interview with the organizer, Holly Kearl. We’re excited to introduce the One Student community to Holly, an activist, feminist, author and all around bad ass who we respect and applaud.
What is International Anti-Street Harassment Week?
Amazing activists and ordinary individuals around the world work hard year-round to make public places safer for everyone by addressing gender-based street harassment…but there is strength in numbers. During the third week of March, thousands of people worldwide will join forces to collectively raise awareness that street harassment is a global problem and work toward solutions. Action can be as simple as talking to a friend about the issue or changing one’s Facebook profile photo to the logo of the week, or it can be as involved as organizing an event or rally, writing sidewalk chalk messages, and organizing an art exhibit. March 24 will be the biggest day of activism.
Why is this project important to you?
I receive stories from women all over the world every week who experience unwanted sexual comments, leering, stalking, and touching from men they don’t know when they’re in public places. This behavior is seen as the way things are, a joke, a compliment, or the women’s fault. The stories and the callous attitudes to the problem of street harassment never cease to enrage me. Street harassment has got to end and the first step is to bring awareness to how often this happens to so many women all over the world. One way to try to raise this awareness is through a week of collective action!
Weekly Word Up
If you suspect your friend is in an abusive relationship, what would you do?