The Little Red Umbrella: Search results for rebekah hakkenberg

SlutWalk 2011 by Rebekah Hakkenberg

On April 2, 2011, the first annual SlutWalk was held in Toronto. The walk was a direct response to Constable Michael Sanguinetti's comments earlier this year at York University that to prevent being raped "women should avoid dressing like sluts." Toronto Police Services has a long history of mishandling rape cases and inadequate understanding of rape culture and working with survivors. Sanguinetti's victim-blaming comment was the final straw. The organizers of the SlutWalk state in their press release:

"As the city’s major protective service, the Toronto Police have perpetuated the myth and stereotype of ‘the slut’, and in doing so have failed us. With sexual assault already a significantly under-reported crime, survivors have now been given even less of a reason to go to the Police, for fear that they could be blamed. Being assaulted isn’t about what you wear; it’s not even about sex; but using a pejorative term to rationalize inexcusable behaviour creates an environment in which it’s okay to blame the victim."

Starting out at Queen's Park, up to 3000 supporters walked east on College towards their destination. It was in front of Toronto Police Headquarters where speakers such as Jane Doe, and Michael Kaufmann addressed the crowd, speaking out against the misogynistic and racist attitudes about rape that run rampant within the Toronto police force and society at large. It seems to have been a successful start to a global movement, with satellite SlutWalks now planned in cities as far away as Adelaide, Australia.

Photos: Rebekah Hakkenberg

Rebekah Hakkenberg takes lots of pictures and occasionally writes about feminism, music, art, and other stuff. She is also the co-creator of Once Again, To Zelda, which is where an earlier version of this post originally appeared.

Happy International Women's Day! And Feminist Coming Out Day! by Rebekah Hakkenberg

Today marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, a day created to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women around the world. It is also Feminist Coming Out Day, a day created to celebrate, uh, being a Feminist. Which is still, for some strange reason, kind of a dirty word to some people. Yeah, I know. We were surprised, too.

Well, not totally surprised. The first time I remember someone asking me if I was a Feminist was also the first time I had ever really thought about it. I had always been concerned with women's rights, and believed in all the same things I still believe in today. Like, you know, being equal. But the image of feminists presented in popular culture was that of man-hating, bra-burning militants, and for a moment I paused before giving my answer, which was "Well, I'm a female, so yes."

Despite my initial hesitation, it really was a no-brainer for me, I had always and will always believe that equality of the sexes around the world is absolutely crucial to making the world better for everyone, men and women. But for a moment, however brief, I wondered how people would judge me if I answered honestly. That was over a decade ago, and young women and girls, when faced with that choice, still worry about what their answer will say about them.

While 60% of women aged 15-30 in the UK have experienced sexism, only 1 in 5 identify as feminist (via EQUALS). WTF?! What are we afraid of? Looking at the global fund for women's list of the top 10 wins for women in the past year, we've come a long way, baby, but we still have a long way to go. Women perform 66% of the world's work and only earn 10% of it's income, and we own a mere 1% of the world's property (again, via EQUALS).

Margaret Wente made the inane proclamation in the Globe and Mail today that Feminism has nothing left to do, (seriously, Margaret?!) but even she admits that this only applies to a select few (i.e., white, educated, affluent). Yes, Feminism is still a very privileged arena, and this needs to change. And even for those women who truly believe they have all the same rights and privileges as their male counterparts (um, they don't), Feminism hasn't "won" until all women are equal.

Our rights are still under attack, and so are our bodies. Women are still abused every day and it goes largely ignored, hundreds of missing/murdered aboriginal women have yet to be accounted for, and men in positions of power still seem to think survivors are at least partially responsible for their assaults. Today, women in Cambodia have been barred from rallying to commemorate IWD. Women of colour, women with disAbilities, and women who are lesbian, bisexual, and/or transgender face a double or even triple whammy of discrimination, prejudice and social exclusion. Women are still sold into slavery, raped, forced to bear children, denied basic human rights, and fucking stoned to death.

So yeah, Margaret Wente can kiss our proud Feminist asses, and we will go on treating every day as if it were International Women's Day, thank you very much.

Rebekah Hakkenberg is a curator/writer/photographer living in Toronto. She is also the co-creator of Once Again, To Zelda, which is where an earlier incarnation of this post originally appeared.

Portraits of Women, 1974-1977 by Rebekah Hakkenberg

The University of Saskatchewan archives are home to a fascinating collection of portraits by Canadian photographer John Reeves. Commissioned by Lorraine Monk in 1975 for the International Year of the Woman, the photos document (mostly) Canadian women from various walks of life. There are portraits of artists, scientists, mothers, historians, clairvoyants, you name it. Regardless of profession, each portrait reveals an equally accomplished, complex and fascinating human being. Each woman is pictured in comfortable surroundings, wearing her everyday clothes, probably adding to the comfort level that allows the individual personalities of each woman to shine through. The subject returns the gaze of the viewer/photographer, but it doesn't feel like a challenge or confrontation, it is an intimate, familiar act. A knowing look exchanged between equals. One feels as though they could be in conversation with an old friend, about to confide an intimate secret or jewel of wisdom or a joke they just heard over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Below is just a small sampling of what you can find in the online archives, which also contains portraits of Anne Murray, Alice Munro, Mary Pratt, Gabrielle Roy and even (the one anomaly I could find in a gallery of Canadian portraits) Norwegian-born actress Liv Ullman.

Jackie Burroughs, Actress, 1939-2010

Constance Nozzolio, Scientist

Vicky Crowe, Craft Manufacturer and Retailer

Karen Kain, Ballerina

Beryl Fox, Documentary Film Maker

Buffy Sainte-Marie, Singer

Dorothy Wyatt, Mayor

Margaret Laurence, Writer

Joan Fox, Film Historian

All photos courtesy of John Reeves and the University of Saskatchewan archives.

Who Was This St. Patrick Guy, Anyway? by Rebekah Hakkenberg

Originally posted March 17, 2011

You're probably too drunk on green beer or Guinness to even read this right now, so why don't you come back tomorrow when you're sober- no wait, better give yourself a day off tomorrow and come back the next day, you know, when you're feeling more like yourself again...

Hey, you're back! Did you have fun? Good. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, St. Patrick! What was his deal? He was Irish, that much I know. Wasn't he the guy who led all the children out of town with his flute? Oh, no, that was some other guy... okay, I have no idea then. Maybe it was snakes? To Wikipedia, I go!

Let's see now, so it turns out that Saint Patrick wasn't Irish! I know, right? It's not known exactly where he was born, but it was definitely either Scotland, Britain or Wales. He was actually captured by Irish marauders when he was 16 and sold into slavery, the poor little guy. He was sold to some Druid dude named Milchu, and little Paddy (oh yeah, his name wasn't actually Patrick, it was Maewyn Succat, but for our purposes, we'll refer to him as Pat) was his slave for 6 years, until finally being told by an angel to run away, he escaped (on literally, a wing and a prayer) and headed on a boat back to Britain.

Now, during his time with the Druids, Pat got really into God. He prayed a lot. I mean, it's not like he had much else to do while he was out in the fields all day tending his master's flock (let's just hope all he did all day was pray...). He also learned the language and traditions of the people of Ireland, and decided it was about time those barbarians got some God in them. So, when he got home he went immediately into the priesthood, and then started gunning for a posting in Ireland, so that he could return to convert the pagans. He eventually did get sent back, and the first thing on his list of people to see and things to do was to find Milchu and give him a piece of his mind. Apparently, though, he didn't want revenge, he just wanted to save the guy's soul. Milchu got wind that his slave boy had returned and was looking for him, so he just went ahead and killed himself. Seriously. Seems a bit extreme, doesn't it? He was either really scared that Pat actually wanted revenge (and so, I imagine this Milchu character must have been a pretty cruel guy) or, he just really didn't want to have to listen to any of Pat's proselytizing (and I mean really, who could blame him?).

So, after that little setback, Patrick continued his mission to convert the Irish to Christianity. For someone who ended up becoming their patron saint, he sure wasn't treated too well while he was there, often getting beaten, robbed, and probably nearly executed! Not to mention that nasty little detail about the kidnapping and slavery... which is probably why Patrick believed that owning another human being was, you know, like, wrong? And that actually caused a bit of tension between him and the church, which took another 1000 years to get around to condemning slavery. Anyways, judging by Ireland today, Patrick was pretty successful. It is pretty ironic (maybe more like in an Alanis Morisette kinda way, though) how he's celebrated around the world today, though. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have been totally cool with the drunken belligerence and public urination that one usually encounters on March 17th. My worst experience with St. Paddy's Day was taking a vomit-smeared bus home at 2am. Literally, the floors, seats, and poles were covered in vomit. Where was my luck o' the Irish then, huh?

Oh yeah, the thing about single-handedly banishing snakes from Ireland? Probably never happened. Seems there weren't any snakes up there in the first place. So, maybe the snakes are a symbol for the Druids? Or maybe he just made it up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to banish all the giraffes from Ecuador (sainthood, here I come...)

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Photo: St. Patrick

Best Of UbuWeb: General Idea's "Pilot"

In 1977, AA Bronson, Jorge Zontal, and Felix Partz, collectively known as General Idea, produced a half-hour long segment called Pilot, which was broadcast on TVOntario. The video is both a campy survey of their work from 1969-77, and a witty commentary on mass media and the role of the artist in society.

From Catalogue Netherlands Media Art Institute:

"By using a satirical didactic style, collages of imagery from 1950's beauty illustrations, and self-portraits stereotyping themselves as cinematic characters, General Idea show how they have successfully designed themselves, how the media is expertly manipulated to achieve desired results and how the audience becomes no more than a submissive mass, smiling in a standing ovation at the command of a master we do not see." (Elaine W. Ho)

It's really good. You can watch Pilot here.

Photo: General Idea, Pilot (still) 1977

UbuWeb is one of our most favourite sites on the whole of the Internet, host to multimedia files from the history of the avant-garde. It has 100 year-old recordings of Dadaist sound poets. Books written by computers. Surrealistic Luis Vuitton commercials made by legendary Japanese directors. It's crazy. Visit it here. Or see all of our "Best Of UbuWeb" recommendations here.

Posted by Rebekah Hakkenberg, the co-creator of Once Again, To Zelda. She also tumbls and tweets. You can read her posts here and email her at rebekah@littleredumbrella.com

Summer is Coming: What to Get Excited About in Toronto by Alex Snider

Being from Winnipeg, I'm usually that asshole who smirks as my friends in Toronto complain about the winter: -5? Bah, that's picnic weather! -10? At least your car doesn't need to be plugged in at night! -15? Yeah, yeah, at least skin can still be exposed for more than 30 seconds before becoming frostbitten! -20? Yesterday Winnipeg was colder than MARS! But this winter, this cold, dry, grey, windy, icy winter has sucked the life from me. I'm to the point where I'm wearing inadequate winter clothing – unbuttoned coat, sneakers, no gloves – as a defiant protest against the tyrannical supremacy of winter. I'm broken, guys.

Warmer times are ahead, however implausible that seems. And with warmer weather we get some serious perks. Here's the ABCs what I'm most looking forward to this summer:

A is for All the boys in tank tops and bucket hats and who ride their bikes with no hands.

B is for Baseball. I'm talking beers and hot dogs at Jays games, tacos and beer at Maple Leafs' games, and beers and beers at your softball league games.

C is for CMW – Ordinarily in March, CMW 2014 starts May 6th. It sucks that instead of waiting a few week now there's a couple months to struggle through but few pairings work better than heat and music festivals. There are some pretty rad non-Canadians gracing us with their presence this year like Flatbush Zombies, Cerebral Ballzy, and little-known artists Neko Case and M.I.A. But I'm really, really looking forward to some of the lesser-known Canadian talent as well: Reggae artist Aiza, the trip hop "Spice Girls" Bizzarh, DJ Eytan Tobin, rappers-to-watch Pimpton, Shaqisdope and MuGz, veteran mc King Reign, the psych-folk lo-fi duo About:, the beachy, dreamy indie stylings of Art Imperial, the silky-voiced Daniel Caesar, and Jean Grae-look-alike soul singer Saidah Baba Talibah. YALA.

D is for Day drinks. Having a few drinks in the park or on a patio mid-afternoon has long been one of my favourite pastimes both because of the luxury and because I can have a disco nap after dinner, snooze away my buzz, and be ready to go again by 9.

E is for El Asador's tacos. Cheap, fast and crawling distance from Christie Pitts.

F is for Festivals. Aside from the ones who get their own fancy entries, we've got Field Trip, Afrofest, Digital Dreams, Veld Music Festival, Taste of the Danforth, Beaches International Jazz Festival, Summerworks, Fringe, Luminato, Summerlicious, and Festival of Beers to name a few.

G is for Getting too drunk on hubris (and orange Bacardi Breezers) and trying to pee without taking my romper off. Feeling like a goddamn king if I pull it off without peeing on myself.

H is for Hiking and doing other nature-y shit. There are so many amazing wilderness spots both in and super close to Toronto. High Park, Toronto Island, Algoniquin, The Bruce Trail, Kortwright Centre, Crothers' Woods, Rouge Park (just make sure you don't take a wrong turn and end up on an isolated nude beach filled with masturbating men because that has happened to me 100% of the times I've tried to go to Rouge Park).

I is for the Island. BEACH DAYZ.

J is for Just making it to the LCBO before their archaic closing time of 9 pm. In Winnipeg the beer vendors are open until 2 am (with a couple being open till 3). Should we all just move to Winnipeg? Or just try to remember that the Bellwoods Bottle Shop is open until 11?

K is for Keeping toilet paper in your bag. Nothing worse than being at Trinity Bellwoods and either the bathrooms are locked or all the toilet paper rolls are totally unfurled into the surprisingly deep puddles surrounding the toilets. Always be prepared. Extra soap would also be good if you're into hygiene.

L is for Lilacs and cherry blossoms and magnolias.

M is for More drunken antics from Rob Ford. Every time RoFo takes a sloppy pic with a hot lady, take a shot.

N is for NXNE – Something to look forward to every summer but this year marks the fesitval's 20th anniversary so instead of 5 wild days/nights we get 10. Performers announced so far include Danny Brown, Metz, St Vincent, Juicy J, Run the Jewels, Spoon, Le1f, Low, tUnE-YaRdS, Kelela, Swans, Sleigh Bells, Ryan Hemsworth, Mac DeMarco, and A$AP Ferg. Don't cry for me, I'm already dead.

O is for Ovo Fest – Outkast are headlining Caribana's biggest event, Drake's Ovo Fest. OUTKAST. There will be other great artists, too, I'm sure. And Drake's going to be there but what's really important is that OUTKAST ARE HEADLINING. Also Caribana! I'm preparing by eating as much rice and peas as my body will allow.

P is for Praying that Trinity Bellwoods sandwich guy will come around soon. Oh man those sweet pickles! Although maybe this summer he could develop a better alternative to literally giving a handful of chips.

Q is for Questioning whether it's a good idea to go pool jumping. (The answer is always yes.)

R is for Road trips. I'll make the perfect mix-tape if you drive.

S is for Supporting the local economy by drinking tall cans in the park and giving the empties to the collectors. Also: Suntans, sandals and slutty cut-offs.

T is for Taking a dip. There is nothing I love more than being in water. Goes for the rain, baths, pools, the ocean but I especially adore just floating in fresh-water lakes.

U is for Using the fire pits at Dufferin Grove park. At last a way to smell like a campfire without leaving Toronto!

V is for Victoria Day. Ah, May 2-4! You sneaky little minx! Seducing me with your unseasonably hot temperatures and tempting me to dive into still-freezing lakes. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me every year, shame on me : (((

W is for WorldPride. I have missed the big parade every year since I moved here 9 years ago (the pains of working retail) but this is the year I'm going to hit all three parades, catch some of the shows and just get a little rowdy with the millions of visitors who are going to flood our city to celebrate.

X is for the (E)X. Here y'all call it the CNE but back in Manitoba it's the Red River Ex. Taking in the bright lights, people watching and gorging on outrageous deep-fried "food" is a pretty great way to finish off the summer. Oh and there's rides, too.

Y is for Y ISN'T IT SUMMER YET.

Z is for Zero reason to stay inside. Rain or shine I'm gonna eat outside, nap outside, run outside and make up for the all the winter hibernation. Come on vitamin D overdose!

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Photos by Rebekah Hakkenberg

Alex Snider will see you on the beach. Follow her on Twitter where she'll be super active for a week then be quiet for months – she's a social media cicada.