Anti-harassment advocate Kearl to headline lunchtime session Feb. 12 at UW-Green Bay

UW-Green Bay and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will host activist, writer and nonprofit professional Holly Kearl for an on-campus event from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12.

Kearl, whose work focuses on gender-based violence and gender equality, will speak on the issue of sexual harassment; her presentation will be followed by an informal brown bag lunch from 1-2 p.m. The address will take place at the Christie Theatre in UW-Green Bay’s University Union, with the brown bag to follow in the Union’s Heritage Room. Both events are free and open to the public.

Kearl is the author of the book Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Places Safe and Welcoming for Women, and is co-author of a national report on sexual harassment in grades 7-12, titled Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School. Kearl founded Stop Street Harassment, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending gender-based street harassment worldwide, as well as International Anti-Street Harassment Week. She’s worked for AAUW since 2007, managing programs that address issues such as sexual harassment in schools and workplace discrimination.

Tired of strange men whistling and honking at her, calling out to her and grabbing her when she was alone in public, Kearl wrote her master’s degree thesis on gender-based street harassment and how women were using websites to combat it, according to her online profile. She founded Stop Street Harassment, a website and blog that would morph into her nonprofit organization, in 2008; and in 2009, she wrote her book, one of the only books that’s been published about street harassment. In 2010, she testified before the New York City Council during a hearing about street harassment; and presented at the third annual Conference on Safety for Women: Building Inclusive Cities in Delhi, India.

Kearl regularly speaks, writes and blogs on sexual harassment and workplace discrimination. Her work has been cited by the United Nations, USA Today, BBC News, The New York Times, CNN, the Associated Press, NPR, the Washington Post and numerous other publications and news outlets. Kearl holds bachelor’s degrees in History and Women and Gender Studies from Santa Clara University, and a master’s degree in Public Policy and Women’s Studies from George Washington University. More information is available at www.hollykearl.com.

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