swaggerroots
swagger: Men As Allies started out as a 6 week writing workshop designed so that the participants could document discussions centered around the culture of violence towards women and girls. Giving the theme of the discussion was Private Bodies/ Public Spaces, participants of the workshop also discussed matters of public harassment and what rolls art and media play in perpetuating such behavior or initiating change. Participants reviewed and wrote in response to personal experiences, art work, articles, video and audio clips on the subject. Then the participants were challenged to create a media space and campaign that would answer the question "What Will it Take to Make Illinois the Safest State for Women and Girls?" Participants asked themselves and other men that question and established a campaign entitled "Safe around me".
"Safe around me" is the year long campaign to encourage contributing artists and the audience to become agents of safe-space. By becoming an agent of safe-space, one has decided that making Illinois the safest state for women and girls is a matter of personal accountability and re-shaping attitudes that hold one superior over another.