One can make the argument that it began on July 23, 2017, when community activist Schyla Pondexter-Moore and her two teen-aged daughters attempted to get a meal at a community food table in Ward 8 set up by the nonprofit Quest2Change. Instead of getting a meal, they got an earful about how a tied t-shirt and a leggings justified harassment by the men in the community, including the men who were serving the food. Schyla and her daughters left when the harassers, seven grown men, threatened them with violence.
The incident led to a Speakout Against Street Harassment sponsored by the newly formed group Reclaiming Our Bodies DC. I went with my camera, expecting to get a few good soundbites, and to put together a 3-5 minute video about street harassment. But the footage gathered that day has required a little more attention. The result is the 30-minute documentary Triggered: Street Harassment and Rape Culture in D.C.’s Ward 8.
The first screening will be followed by a panel discussion about street harassment. Details are below.
It was clear at the Speakout that Reclaiming Our Bodies DC had touched on an issue that was about far more than one incident. While most of the media focuses on sexual harassment among the political elites and Hollywood insiders, the rest of us are dealing with it in the streets. Grassroots DC invites you to join the discussion.
