Andrenkia “Red” Booker

Red educates girls about sexual harassment by facilitating “Hey, Shorty!” workshops, at which young people share their definitions of sexual harassment, discuss their own experiences with it, and watch the “Hey, Shorty!” documentary, which covers the experiences women of color have had with street harassment, and the reasons that men give for engaging in it. She describes her activism as deeply rooted in her own life.

“When I was in high school a few years ago, I realized that my gym teacher was failing all of the girls but passing all the boys,” she says. “I just couldn’t sit there with a failing grade knowing that I was doing everything I could to pass this class and she was just playing favoritism.” She says that she gathered up report cards and showed them to the principal until he acknowledged that there was a problem. That teacher was removed from the school.

“Never be quiet about a issue that is affecting you and the people around you,” she says. “Also, remember that you are the future!” ♦