Nine members of the Pink Bloque, a local group of women activists, hit Taste of Chicago on July 4 to pass out flyers protesting the proposed Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003–aka Patriot Act II–and dance around to Missy Elliott’s “Gossip Folks.” The 15-member collective, whose slogan is “dancing in dissent,” has gained recognition over the last year and a half by using pop music and pink outfits to grab people’s attention and help its political messages go down easier. For an action last September focusing on rape and sexual harassment, for example, the group delivered a choreographed routine to Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” outside a row of Wicker Park bars on Milwaukee Avenue. After the performance the women handed out pamphlets on date rape to the men who had gathered to hoot and holler at their moves.
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The proceeds from the party will help defray the cost of renting a van to transport eight or nine members to six east-coast cities next month. “We thought it would be a fun way to spread the Pink Bloque message around different towns,” says Cumbia. Each stop will consist of workshops on Pink Bloque tactics followed by street actions protesting the occupation of Iraq and the threat Patriot Act II poses to civil liberties. “All of the people who come will get to be a Pink Bloque member for a little while,” says Cumbia. “Hopefully they’ll take that and start doing something on their own.”
