It Takes Two: Time to Man Up
Today we’re honouring a man who, simply put, demands that guys man up.
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Former journalist turned activist, Jimmie Briggs’ latest initiative, Man Up, involves a coalition of organisations that aim to inform and inspire young people to tackle gender violence on behalf of future generations. The collective uses soccer and hip hop as the central tools to reach out to youth – boys and girls alike – and engage them in a proactive plan of attack against gender violence in their respective regions and countries. A massive event coinciding with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is deep in the planning stages and global involvement is highly anticipated.
In Congo and Nigeria, Briggs and his team are working with youth to confront rape as a weapon of war; in Guatemala and Mexico, they’re tackling femicide; in the Balkans, trafficking and prostitution; in Europe and the U.S., domestic violence. “Whatever form of gender violence is most threatening and pernicious in one country or region, that’s where we start.”
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Jimmie describes the initiative’s strategy as “very from the bottom up.” They intend on engaging youth through those things they are passionate about – soccer and music. “Soccer is arguably the global sport,” Jimmie insists, and that’s no exaggeration. And so it makes sense that Jimmie would choose soccer as a tool to reach youth. Briggs also sees hip hop music as a key way to reach into communities across the globe. “It thrives in many areas and they’ve adapted hip hop culture and music to their own cultures and music. There’s potential there to engage young people in Japan, South Africa, Brazil, Korea, Honduras, all over. Young people across the globe are embracing hip hop and taking it back to its roots as a tool for social change and empowerment and advocacy.”
So what separates Man Up from other organisations working against gender based violence? Unlike the reactive nature of many of these groups, Briggs recognises that it’s time to be preventative. He talks about the extraordinary role that young people had leading the Civil Rights movement in America, and urges us to trust their strength, putting power into the hands of this generation. “We can plant the seeds then water the seeds, with young people around the world, and I believe their efforts will take root.”
Now is the time to take action and instigate change. It needs to happen at a cultural level and awareness is the first step toward addressing what is often considered a "personal" issue not intended for meddling and interference.
"I can’t remember all the faces and names of people," Briggs said. "You never forget the stories though. For me personally I don’t consider myself a journalist anymore, I’ve crossed that line. I want to be an advocate, a defender. Journalists are the pretense of objectivity. And I don’t want to be objective anymore."
Bell Bajao wishes Briggs’ all the vey best for his initiative and echoes his sentiment when he urges the youth of today and says, “You can make an impact right now. You have the power. You have the voice. It’s up to you to use it… Individuals get tired, movement don’t.”
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Tagged domestic violence, gender
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