FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 7, 2021

Contact: 

UniQue Webster
Director of External Affairs

[email protected]

New York, NY. Hollaback!, leader in the anti-harassment movement committed to ending harassment in all its forms, announced today that it has changed its name to Right To Be. The story of this organization started in 2005, when a group of young people decided to create a blog to collect stories of street harassment.

In 2010, they became a non-profit organization under the name Hollaback! and quickly started to make an impact. They made history by being part of the first-ever hearing on street harassment, conducted research, and created the first bystander intervention training to address street harassment. They have trained 250,000+ people on how to intervene when harassment happens and the 5Ds methodology has been used to train over 500,000 more.   Their methodology involves five methods of bystander intervention, which have been developed and tested over the past decade by Hollaback!

Initially the organization’s focus was gender issues, it was clear a growth was needed from addressing public street harassment to ending harassment in all its forms. Right To Be provides resources to not only respond and intervene, but also to heal and build resilience. They were able to respond to the #MeToo movement, the fight for Black Lives Matter, and the rise of anti-Asian hate by offering tools and resources to empower allies and those who were especially impacted. The name change allows them to show the breadth and magnitude of their work. It gives space to envision and build a world where everyone has the Right To Be who they are, wherever they are. A world where you have the Right To speak up and share your story, but also a world in which each of us feels empowered with concrete tools to create change and support others. Deputy Director, Jorge Arteaga states, “Hollaback! was the call to speak up about their experience. And now we’re in a different phase. Now we want you to go out there and start a change in your communities. If you’re in a community board, in your kid’s schools, if you are a CEO, what are the changes you’re doing there so that your folks feel like they have the right to be themselves while they’re there?”

 The new branding and image will make you feel included, empowered, and inspired. “Right To Be has a giant space at the end of it, that all of us can crowd into and feel a sense of belonging. We need every single person on board with us because this seismic level of change doesn’t happen because a couple people are down for it. It happens because we’re all down for it,” said Emily May, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Right To Be.

Visit the website righttobe.org and check out the numerous ways you can continue to take action and register for training.

 About Right to Be:

Right to Be has a mission to end harassment in all its forms by transforming the culture that perpetuates harassment and discrimination. We carry out this mission by building the power of everyday people to create safe and welcoming environments for all. We believe we all have a role to play in disrupting harassment and building a culture where it is no longer seen as “just the price you have to pay” for being a woman, LGBTQIA+, a person of color, or any other marginalized identity. We teach people to take action, and to reach across their own identities to ally with others and establish a united front against harassment each time we witness it. For more information or how you can get involved, visit righttobe.org. Follow RightToBe on Twitter and Facebook at @righttobeorg