Sexual Harassment on the Streets or Poorly Delivered Greetings?
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Sexual harassment on the streets? Or poorly delivered greetings? A lack of consideration? Or consideration for your presence? These are the questions that may come to mind when you watch a recently produced “experimental” film - shot in Brooklyn and Philadelphia - “about women ritually facing street harassment as they walk home.” A mix of 16 mm film, video, poetry and music, the piece was directed by Providence, RI native, Nuala Cabral, in what she and her collaborators call “an effort to honor and reclaim our humanity in the public sphere.” It is, they say, “for the walkers, talkers and those who say nothing.”
The film, “Walking Home” is a Third World Newsreel Workshop Production in collaboration with Messages in Motion. It was directed by Nuala Cabral, a Providence, RI native who now lives in Philadelphia.
Cabral and her featured subjects are not the only ones to recently address this topic. In a piece called “Oh You Can’t Speak To A Brotha?” which appeared on the website Racialicious.com, Guest Contributor Ndidi Oriji writes a letter to a transportation employee who repeatedly dodges her inquiry for assistance in favor of (not as smoothly as he thinks) asking for her phone number. See a portion of the post below.
Dear MTA Employee,
I am the woman who requested your help Wednesday morning at approximately 9:40am. I came to the station agent’s window and told you that I swiped my metro card and the display read “See Agent”. You told me to swipe it at the window. When I did, the display read “See Agent” once again. You looked at me and you said, “It says we should go out to dinner.” I responded “What?” and you repeated what you said. I asked you to help me because I didn’t want to miss the train. You repeated, “It says we should go out to dinner, you should give me your number…” I walked away angry, while you yelled after me, “Miss! Miss!” and pushed the button to let me in. I ignored you, used a new metro card to let myself in and went on my way. I’m writing this letter to explain my anger and in the hopes of preventing this type of interaction in the future.
You don’t know me. I am 32 years old. I am a lawyer. I have a mother and a father, two brothers, two sisters, one grandmother still living and a lot of cousins, aunts and uncles.
Click here to link to the full article on Racialicious.com and here to see what people are saying about Cabral’s new film. Click here to see a different film project produced by Cabral: a music video for the song, “We Don’t Vote.”
***
Can’t wait for the RezaRitesRi newsletter? Have info to share NOW?
Join the RezaRites Chirp,
a Yahoo group for friends and readers.
reza | Women in RI, Art, Visual, Human/Civil Rights, National and International Women - NEW, National and International Leadership - NEW