By Zosia Sztykowski of CASS
What if this post started with a comment on your outfit, or the shape of your body? What if it made a disparaging homophobic comment directed at you? This kind of harassment is a daily experience for a lot of people in the Washington, D.C. area, and Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS) is dedicated to empowering them to speak out against it.
Through online activism, public advocacy and education, and community building, we work hard to make the streets of DC safe for everyone.
On Saturday, January 21st, local bands Miyazaki, Ra Ra Rasputin, and supergroup Volta Bureau will help us raise awareness and funds for some of our programming at an all-ages benefit concert at St. Stephens run by Positive Force. The bands will be speaking out themselves this week in a series of videos at TVD, but first we have a playlist to remind you to empower yourself.
Fugazi – “Suggestion”
I’m not sure anything better has been written expressing the frustration, anger, and injustice tied up in public sexual harassment than this song. Why can’t everyone walk down the street without suffering the judgment of complete strangers? The lyrics remind us to overcome our reactionary ideas about gender, or else we only “play the roles that they assigned us.”
Sonic Youth – “Swimsuit Issue”
This one was suggested by Patrick Kigongo of Ra Ra Rasputin, who will be playing Saturday’s benefit show. It’s a noisy invective against the male gaze and exploitative gender roles that makes it hard not to want to smash the patriarchy.
Le Tigre – “Hot Topic”
Not only is this one to play while getting ready to head out on the town, the song pays tribute to a raft of influential feminist artists, musicians, and writers. Band member Kathleen Hanna could easily be included in such a list. It also provides some of the best advice an activist can hear: “Don’t you stop.”
No Doubt – “I’m Just a Girl”
This may be an obvious choice, and I hate to be predictable, but I think that every girl who was old enough to operate a discman in the mid-’90s rocked out to this song and loved it. I recommend that anyone reading this now undertake my after-school ritual from almost every day of the beginning of sixth grade: close the door to your room, turn this up, and flail.
Diana Ross – “I’m Coming Out”
With its bouncy beat, classic disco vocals, and catchy hook, this song would be a perfect way to forget the haters. Add an empowering message and it’s a shoe-in for this list. A world without harassment is one in which everyone is free to be their authentic selves, and Ms. Ross reminds us not to lose sight of that goal.
