A BIPOC Youth-Led Culture Change Initiative to End Gender-Based Violence

Photo: Lara Kaur

Over the past decade, The Betti Ono Foundation (Betti Ono) has been recognized for producing high-impact cultural programming, projects, and collaborations. Using all of the levers of racial justice alliance building, cultural strategy, and community engagement, Betti Ono works collaboratively across public and private sectors to advance shared public policy agendas and solutions to society’s most pressing civic issues.

Betti Ono designed #NotOneMoreGirl as a multi-phase cultural change initiative to transform the culture of violence on our public transit systems into a culture of care for BIPOC women, girls and gender expansive youth.

#NotOneMoreGirl is the first Bay Area initiative (and possibly the first in the country) to systemically address sexual harassment and gender-based violence on public transportation led and informed by Black and Latinx youth, artist, and community advocates adopted by a transit agency.

Partners

Our fight for collective Civil and Human Rights necessitates that Black and brown people move freely throughout our society without the threat of harm or violence.

From pregnant 15 year old CLAUDETTE COLVIN being arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955 to 18 year old artist NIA WILSON being fatally attacked in an Oakland BART station in 2018 – racialized gender based violence, sexual harassment, and ridership inequities within publlic transit remains a widespread issue that disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities.

BY THE NUMBERS

A snapshot of our social impact and the effectiveness of the NOMG initiative.

47%

of riders surveyed know where to get help if they experience sexual harassment or gender-based violence (GBV)*

55%

of riders surveyed know what to do if they witness sexual harassment or GBV*

25%

of riders surveyed felt safer on public transportation in the Bay Area*

700+

free healing kits distributed to the community to provide trauma informed safety resources

500+

total youth involved with 100 paid roles for youth who worked on #NotOneMoreGirl

4K+

Bay Area community members directly engaged at community activations, listening sessions and transit hubs high schools

*Data collected from online and in-person transit rider surveys between 2020-2023

Photo:  Bethanie Hines

WE’RE BUILDING POWER THROUGH CULTURE,
#NOMG ADVOCACY & POLICY WINS!

#NotOneMoreGirl is the first transit justice initiative of its kind which has innovated the transit ecosystem and secured critical advocacy and policy win! As a result of this work, two California state laws were signed in to order to combat gender based violence and sexual harassment, generating equity forward solutions for thousands of transit dependent riders from the Oakland Bay Area and across the state.

SB-434

Senate Bill 434 requires that the 10 largest transit operators in California to collect and publish qualitative and quantitative data related to the harassment of diverse riders.

SB-1161

Senate Bill 1161 with Stop AAPI leading the legislative effort, requires the Mineta Transportation Institute to develop a survey on harassment of passengers to inform public transit safety efforts.

The NOMG Initiative:
3 Campaign Phases

Since 2019, this initiative has radically steered an equity forward process to bring healing, generate systemic change, and hold transit agencies accountable for ensuring safe and just passage ways for all riders. Each phase of this work is powered by our ACE (Arts & Civic Engagement) Fellows, Artist-in-Residence, Core Design Team and community partners.

1: Disruption

2019-2021

Betti Ono Artist-in-Residence: Bay Area-based visual designer Nisha K. Sethi

Phase 1 #NOMG was co-created with local Black and Latinx youth, artists, and community based organizations to disrupt the harmful norms perpetuating gender-based violence on public transit. Sparked by research conducted by advocacy groups, the narrative driven art reflects the voices, lived experiences, and powerful images of Black and brown girls as seen by 1,000s of riders through the installation of 300+ posters BART train cars, and on billboards throughout 50 train stations.

2: Intervention

2022-2023

Betti Ono Artist-in-Residence: Bay Area-based muralist Safi Kolozsvari Regalado.

In Phase 2, Our Story of Courage emerged as a theme after engaging more than 120 BIPOC youth and 40+ frontline transit workers in deep community listening sessions to reimagine what community care looks like on public transit. The narrative-driven illustrations and “Bystander Intervention Cards” created by ACE Fellows proved to be effective and innovative solutions for educating the public about bystander intervention and a shift from simply being transit riders to becoming agents of change.

3: Allyship

2023 – Present

Betti Ono Artist-in-Residence: To be announced by August 1, 2024.

In Phase 3, we are advancing an unprecedented opportunity to shift harmful attitudes, behaviors, and social norms on public transit through strategic and transformational engagements with male allies. We are currently hosting listening sessions that integrate GBV 101, art-based narrative storytelling, and youth leadership development to increase male participation in the fight to end gender based violence on public transit through education, intervention, and prevention.