Interview with Emily May, Co-Founder of HollabackNYC
Connect with Emily May, HollabackNYC, and others concerned about street harassment on GlobalSister.org!
GSO: How did the Hollaback project get started?
HBNYC: HollabackNYC started in 2005 the way a lot of good revolutions must begin – as conversations with friends over a couple of drinks. The seven of us commiserated over being whistled at, cat-called, and propositioned, with each story earning a chorus of “uggg” “ewww” and “gross!” The trouble was that we felt there was nothing we could do. If we walked on, we felt victimized. If we yelled, we further endangered ourselves. Witty comebacks had their charm, but they always came late, and street harassment was more or less protected under laws of free speech. Then we realized – why not take pictures of these street harassers and post them on a blog? And so, with the clink of our cocktail glasses, we launched HollabackNYC, a blog dedicated to giving women an empowered response to street harassment. The blog has since expanded to over 20 cities worldwide.
GSO: What are the key issues that HollabackNYC is focused on?
HBNYC: HollabackNYC is dedicated to ending street harassment and assault. When sexual harassment occurs, women must choose between ignoring it (and feeling victimized) or fighting it (and risking personal safety). Those that attempt to report it to the police are frequently told there is nothing they can do; adding insult to injury, authorities regularly fail to report these crimes to the public, making them virtually invisible. Hence is it unsurprising that 97% (2007 Study) of these crimes go unreported. Women and LGBT individuals frequently choose to internalize the violence rather than report it and risk stigma. The result is that harassment remains invisible to policymakers, law enforcement and the public, leaving perpetrators unaccountable and people vulnerable to further attack.
GSO: Why is it important to combat street harassment in NYC and other cities?
HBNYC: Comments like ”Hey Baby, mmm…,” unwanted attention like groping, public lewdness, and assault are a demeaning and demoralizing everyday occurrence for women and LGBT individuals. Street harassment and assault have long-term negative consequences for women and society as a whole—they impede equity in education and the workplace by creating an atmosphere of fear and threat that leaves people disenfranchised. Survivors may change jobs, turn down networking opportunities, and/or miss out on classes because they feel unsafe traveling alone to and from these activities during early morning and evening hours, leaving them with fewer options than their male counterparts. Hollaback helps give a voice to anyone who has been affected, and lets them become part of our movement to create safer and more equitable public spaces.
GSO: What impact have you seen as a result of the Hollaback project?
HBNYC: When it comes to activism, creating an open-source platform like Hollaback is not enough—we must create open-source leaders as well. Hollaback’s strategy is to inspire action while showcasing individual voices and stories: each story is read by over 1,000 people. While over the past four years Hollaback has achieved more than I ever thought possible, it is important to remember that Hollaback is merely a vehicle. It is our readers shared experiences and subsequent action that catalyze the movement to end sexual harassment and assault.
GSO: Does HollabackNYC partner with other campaigns / organizations / initiatives?
HBNYC: Hollaback is currently partnering with RightRides for Women’s Safety in New York City to develop a cell-phone ready version of Hollaback that will be used to track and map street harassment. Once we launch in New York City, we will be looking to expand internationally. We would love to connect other anti-street harassment activists around the world!
GSO: What kinds of challenges does HollabackNYC face in doing the work you do?
HBNYC: Although almost every woman has experienced street harassment, it has been slow to develop into a movement. Like all forms of violence against women, women tend to blame themselves for being harassed. It doesn’t hurt that oftentimes men blame them too. One reader, Raven, said that she was told, “If you don’t want to be treated like this don’t go outside.” A growing number of women are standing up against street harassment worldwide—putting street harassment at a tipping point in women’s history. I believe street harassment is poised to be the cornerstone issue for women in the 2010’s, in the same way that workplace harassment was in the 1980’s.
GSO: How do you use social networking and new media to further HollabackNYC’s work?
HBNYC: Hollaback!’s model combines community-based activism with a unique weapon: the cell phone. Cell phones have been widely heralded as democratizing technology. A 2009 Newsweek study showed that 85% of Americans have cell phones, and 32% of cell phone users go onto the Internet. Among African-Americans, who historically have had more limited access to the Internet, the New York Times blog reports 48% use their cell phones to access the Internet. Worldwide, the UN reports six in ten people own a cell phone. The ubiquitous use of cell phones have created new opportunities for women to document where and when street harassment happens, and ultimately, end the cycle of violence.
GSO: Do you have any tips or advice for GSO members who are involved in, or would like to become involved in, the work you do?
HBNYC: Contact me! We need your talent. We would love to help you start a Hollaback in your own city and support the work of women who already have.
GSO: If you could change one thing that would have a dramatic impact on women’s lives around the world, what would it be?
HBNYC: I would pick sexism. If you end sexism, the whole house of cards would collapse: you’d end street harassment, achieve pay equity, inspire women’s leadership, and the list goes on and on. Just imagine how much we could accomplish.
GSO: If you could start a branch of Hollaback in any international city, where would it be?
HBNYC: We already have Hollaback’s in the UK and Australia, but if I could pick one place, I would love to see HollabackSaudiArabia. We’ve spoken with activists there, but they are too afraid of getting caught. I’m hoping we can adapt our new mapping project so that they will have the opportunity to Hollaback, safely.
GSO: And finally, if you could have any international activist or celebrity endorse HollabackNYC and focus on the anti street harassment initiative, who would it be?
HBNYC: I live in a cultural cave, but I couldn’t help to notice the new Jay-Z song, Empire State of Mind. The lyrics go: “yellow cap, gypsy cap, dollar cab, holla back, for [drivers] it ain’t for, they act like they forgot how to act.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I only know one HollaBack that deals with cab drivers who ‘forgot how to act.’ Until Jay-Z himself tells us to stop: we’re taking that as a ringing endorsement!
HollaBackNYC empowers New Yorkers to Holla Back at street harassers. Whether you’re commuting, lunching, partying, dancing, walking, chilling, drinking, or sunning, you have the right to feel safe, confident, and sexy, without being the object of some turd’s fantasy. So stop walkin’ on and Holla Back: Send us pics of street harassers!
Tags: street harassment
[...] launched their new iPhone app last night! These activists envision a world free from street harassment and they are using all of the technical tools [...]