March’s IRC to tackle gender violence, street harassment

It’s not too late to join the Inclusive Reading Club (IRC) on Thursday, March 18, at 4:00 p.m. with special guest facilitator Dr. Laura O’Toole, professor of cultural, environmental and global studies. To register for the event, go here.

Dr. Laura O’Toole

The club will be exploring the culture of street harassment behavior and how women are working to expose the pervasiveness of harassment and find a cathartic reckoning.

The IRC will be reading excerpts from the book “Stop Telling Women to Smile: Stories of Street Harassment and How We’re Taking Back Our Power” by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh. IRC will also read the essay “Everything from ‘Beautiful’ to ‘Bitch’ ” by Melinda Mills, which is from the anthology “Gender Violence: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.” This anthology was co-edited by Dr. O’Toole herself, along with Jessica R. Schiffman and Rosemary Sullivan.

Before settling in with the readings, participants are encouraged to take five minutes to watch this short video about Tatyana Fazlalizadeh and the inspiration behind her streetart initiative addressing gender-based harassment. The IRC will also incorporate the art from Fazlalizadeh’s street art project into the discussion.

Readings for the IRC are posted on the library’s website under Course Reserves. To register for the event, go here.

Featured photo is street artwork by Fazlalizadeh.