Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello World!! My name is Chloe Alce, I am from Scotch Plains, New Jersey, I am 17 years old, and I run the account @catcallsofucnj with Sol Casimiro.
When did you start your account?
The account @catcallsofucnj was created in February of 2019, and Sol Casimiro ran it by themself until May 2020, when they’ve asked me to help them run the account!
Why were you inspired to start an account?
When Sol asked me to work run the account with them, I was really excited because I’ve been focusing on expanding my areas or work in activism for the past couple months. Also, catcalling is such a prevalent issue and by chalking out these messages in public areas around Union County, people will realize that catcalling doesn’t just happen in urban areas or obscene remarks, aren’t just made by construction workers. Catcalling isn’t mutually exclusive and it happens anywhere, regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, race, creed, etc.
Why do you think “chalking back” is a good method to raise awareness?
I think chalking back is a great way to spread awareness because people can look upon the messages on the ground and reflect on the seriousness of catcalling, how their behavior may be a sign of catcalling/sexual harassment, and also be an eye opener on how anyone can virtually be a victim of catcalling.
Why do you think ending street harassment is important?
The primary reason why I think that ending street harassment is crucial because nobody should have to be conscious of what outfit they are wearing in order to avoid being catcalled or to be in constant fear by being sexualized by a stranger, or yet even a relative.
What’s your favorite thing about your city?
Scotch Plains, is a very small suburban town, primary composed of residential areas; so there isn’t much to do in my town, other than going to school or shopping at local businesses. But I love eating pizza with my friends after school downtown!
How can your city better address street harassment?
For starters, I think that my town should conduct town hall group sessions and in our schools discussing about sexual harassment my brother explaining what comments are appropriate or not, how it affects people’s emotional well-being, and how individuals can put an end to street harassment. By informing others about this issue, people can understand how to stop catcalling and to be aware of what comments are appropriate to make.
What do you hope is the outcome of your account?
I hope that this account will bring more awareness to the issue and that our followers will join us in the fight to combat catcalling/sexual harassment!
What does being a part of this campaign mean to you?
Being a part of this campaign means that I am actively finding ways to combat sexual harassment and to spread more awareness about the issue!
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