‘This Is an Emergency': Kathleen Hanna on Uniting to Fight Against ICE Raids and Fascism
Kathleen Hanna is no stranger to social justice movements. As the riot grrrl punk icon best known for fronting both Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, she has spent decades producing raucous feminist anthems and songs that searingly critique the status quo. Along the way, she's fostered an underground activist scene through events, zines, photography, and mixed media, never afraid to confront patriarchal or authoritarian oppression. Many of these experiences are chronicled in her new memoir, Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk, out in paperback on June 24. Right now, Hanna is focused on the expanding political crisis, including raids and mass arrests of migrants by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which have sparked protests nationwide, with Los Angeles an epicenter of the uprising, targeted by the Trump administration for a brutal crackdown. She has been demonstrating in Pasadena, with the aim of disrupting ICE activities, and raising money for CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. (You can donate here.) Hanna caught up with Rolling Stone to share how she uses her voice to effect change — and how everyone has something to contribute to the cause. – Miles Klee
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LIKE MOST PEOPLE, I'm absolutely sickened by the fact that friends and neighbors are being kidnapped off the street — from their jobs, from grade-school graduations — it's horrific. Like any citizen, I'm trying to figure out what I can do. I was like, 'Oh, I have a following, I can start a fundraiser.' So far, we've raised over $20,000 in 48 hours for CHIRLA, The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. They do a lot of amazing work, including providing legal counsel for people who are wrongfully targeted and detained. I know a lot of people are asking, 'What can I do to help?' Just getting the word out to friends and being like, here's an organization, give $5, give $10 — that's something you can do, and if we get 100,000 people to give $5, that can help a lot of people.
I have an 11-year-old son who is really worried about his classmates and their families. He really wanted to protest but I felt nervous about taking him to the peaceful protests in downtown L.A. due to the intense military presence so I just typed in, 'Pasadena,' where I live, and 'ICE,' and a post came up that said ICE agents are staying at a nearby hotel. We went to the hotel, there were 15 people there at first, and it just grew and grew. I posted a picture and specifically noted that this is a family and disabled-friendly protest, because I think it's really important that people who have chronic illnesses or small children under their care also have ways to protest. That's one of the messages I'm trying to get out. Everyone can plug in to fight fascism. This is an emergency and we need everyone doing things on all levels.
When you're protesting on a street corner, people drive by and honk. It's a long-standing protest tradition and it was so amazing to hear so many people laying on their horns, whole families were waving out their windows, cheering us on. People were flying Mexican flags on their cars and driving around the block. Just watching my son feel the community spirit and be like, 'we're all fighting this together, we don't have to be angry alone' made me feel so good. The other thing is, because we were holding up signs, which made people in cars honk, it disturbed the guests of the hotel to a degree that the hotel kicked out the ICE agents who were staying there. No one can sit in a room listening to screams and horn honking for 10 hours! So in the end, the people driving by and honking made the protest successful.
The Internet can be a really great tool, but we are also being censored. Real-life forms of communication are going to become even more important as the days and weeks and months go on. Are you a graphic designer? Do you want to make flyers? Can you hang them up? Right now reminds me of the Nineties, before computers, when we used zines to communicate. I taught my mom, who is 75, how to go on Substack, and I signed her up for 'Chop Wood, Carry Water,' which is the Substack newsletter by activist and organizer Jess Craven, where she has a whole list of things that you can do. My mom's older but she can make phone calls to Senators and Representatives. For my mom and my family, it feels right to do something instead of just sitting indoors being upset.
As far as safety is concerned, one thing people don't think about is that a lot of people in the public eye — especially women, and people of color — get threats and have stalkers and have to spend a lot of money, time, and mental labor to feel safe. It's like an extra layer of a job that a lot of straight white guys don't have to deal with. And if you're a trans or gay celebrity, this stuff is constant, so I'm not going to slam anybody for not speaking out, because I don't know their personal situation. I'm definitely going to applaud people who are able and willing to but I'm not going to spend time critiquing celebrities or anyone else. I mean, we're trying to stop racism in the name of 'policing' so I don't see how policing each other is productive.
I definitely want to continue to fundraise, because that's something I'm good at. And of course I will keep speaking out and supporting underground artists who are having shows that create joy and community and give everyone the energy to keep fighting. I'm staying sane by writing songs right now that have to do with resisting fascism. One way not to burn out is to mix your activism with something that you love to do already.
I personally feel that the message is that protest is for everybody. If you're on the far left, let's welcome people instead of shaming them and telling them they're protesting in the wrong way. We're all learning as we go. Doing something is better than doing nothing, and if we stay home because we're afraid of making mistakes, of not participating in the correct way, nobody's going to be out in the streets. Or outside the hotels. Or hanging up posters for a local protest. You don't have to wait till you have the perfect thing to say in your social media video or your song or whatever. Just do it, and you'll wake up tomorrow, and the sun will be shining, and some people won't like it. Big deal.
For more, follow @mskathleenhanna, sign up for Future Windows, and support CHIRLA with a donation.
As told to Miles Klee
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