After the numerous marches through the streets of Boston, protesting for women’s rights, Girls Rock Campaign Boston came up with the idea to host a night that advocates for a specific cause — the empowerment of girls in the music scene.
GRCB, a nonprofit feminist organization that promotes music education for all girls, hosted a Love Trumps Hate Dance at the Bella Luna Restaurant and Milky Way Lounge in Jamaica Plain on Sunday night. The night consisted of dancing, live DJs, food and learning more about the GRCB as well as other social justice organizations.
“The great thing about using music as a vehicle to help boost girls’ self-confidence is that there’s such a rich history of female trailblazers who were able to express themselves in what is usually a male-dominated space,” sad Carolyn Berk, a member of GRCB’s planning team for the event. “Music education through GRCB helps girls find the strength to buck traditional gender roles and go against the status quo.”
Attendees at the Love Trumps Hate Dance donated to the organization, whose goal is to empower girls by providing a supportive community, which cultivates “self-expression, confidence, and collaboration through musical education and performance,” according to GRCB’s website.
Berk said she thought of the idea for the dance party and helped put it together. After Trump’s election, protests have been widespread around Boston — one of the reasons why Berk said she was passionate about this dance.
“We wanted to align the work that Girls Rock Campaign Boston has been doing with what has been happening recently such as the Women’s March,” Berk said. “There have been so many protests happening and it’s very easy to burn out.”
Because of this, GRCB made an effort to bring some fun into the cause as well, Berk said. It not only promotes community action, but also may be seen as a stress reliever.
Erin Morrow, a GRCB volunteer and the head of the events committee, said the group knew this weekend would be a great opportunity to raise awareness. After a protesting for a couple of weeks, she said, the team expected people would need a break.
“We wanted to get the community interested and we know people like to dance and that it would attract attention especially during the holiday weekend,” Morrow said. “We did it for the fun aspect but also to create a safe space for people to connect.”
With so much political uncertainty surrounding women’s rights, Berk said, it’s important to have a safe space to share thoughts, fear and ideas.
Jaime Lederer, 35, of Medford, attended the dance and said she has been to previous GRCB events.
“It’s always a great time to get together and build the community that GRCB has already established here in Boston,” Lederer said. “It was a lot of fun and felt really safe and welcoming.”
There was a great mix of people there and the event was well-received, Berk said.
After seeing the great amount of support received on Sunday, Berk mentioned that there has been talk about making it an annual event, as it piqued the interests of individuals who didn’t even intend on attending.
“There were also people that weren’t attending and were just eating dinner,” Berk said, “but still donated and wanted to learn more about our organization.”