Latest news with #KathleenHanna
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘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 *** More from Rolling Stone Sorry, That's Not Wyatt Russell in the Viral L.A. Protest Video In Turkey, Protest Sounds Like a Rock Song Dear Mr. President, We Say No 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 Best of Rolling Stone Every Super Bowl Halftime Show, Ranked From Worst to Best The United States of Weed Gaming Levels Up
Los Angeles Times
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Pack these books for Coachella: Your music festival reading lineup
Calling all bookworms! Welcome to the L.A. Times Book Club newsletter. I'm Meg. I write shut up and read, a book newsletter. I'm also on BookTok. It's festival season. And no, I don't just mean The Times' Festival of Books happening at the end of the month (see you at my panel…?). I'm also talking about Coachella and, unfortunately, Stagecoach. Whether you're heading out to Indio, or enjoying the annual exodus of Angelenos, here are some books that give Coachella Valley vibes. As usual, you'll also find the latest in lit news below, plus, we hop on the phone with the Best Bookstore in Palm Springs. Bikini Kill frontwoman and third-wave feminist punk icon Kathleen Hanna looks back on her life with introspection and candor in 'Rebel Girl.' She unburies trauma, writing frankly about personal traumas, including sexual assaults she survived as a teen and young woman, and reflects on how she made it out to the other side. When I was 18, I went to Coachella. I should have been at home reading Sarvenaz Tash's 'Three Day Summer.' Tash reimagines 1969 Woodstock for the YA crowd, focusing on the budding romance between teens Michael and Cora against the backdrop of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead. Before the Yuma tent, there was bloghouse. 'Never Be Alone Again' by Lina Abascal is an essential text on an under-documented era of music. Featuring a foreword by A-track, and interviews with everyone from Flosstradamus to Steve Aoki, this book is a time capsule that will have you scrolling through the Cobrasnake's archive and yearning for illegal MP3s. 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test' by Tom Wolfe. Because, duh. 'A Visit from the Goon Squad' by Jennifer Egan is a structural marvel. Egan time travels across 40 years in her postmodern Pulitzer Prize-winning book, passing the baton among 13 protagonists, zig-zagging her way through the story of music mogul Bennie Salazar, his klepto assistant Sasha, and a cast of kooky characters. Reading this book for the first time is a transcendent experience. Taylor Jenkins Reid's 'Daisy Jones and the Six,' obviously. This list wouldn't be complete without the historical fiction novel loosely inspired by Fleetwood Mac. Told as an oral history, the book weaves together interviews from the band members spanning nearly five decades. When you're done, binge-watch the television adaptation starring Riley Keough. 'The Final Revival of Opal & Nev' by Dawnie Walton follows a fictional iconic and interracial Afropunk rock duo, Opal Jewel and Nev Charles, who are on the brink of reuniting for the first time in over 40 years. Covering their reunion is Sunny, a Black journalist who has a personal connection to Opal, and is determined to land the tell-all story behind the pair. Walton's debut novel feels so authentic that I guarantee you will be double- and triple-checking that these characters aren't based on real people. Don't say I didn't warn you. Forty years after Woodstock, co-creator Michael Lang and author Holly George-Warren wrote the seminal text for the festival. 'The Road to Woodstock' gives readers more than a behind-the-scenes look, it gives them backstage access, from finding Max Yasgur's farm that would ultimately host the fest, to negotiating with the Who and landing Jimi Hendrix — even if it cost an extra couple thousand dollars. Lollapalooza's impact cannot be understated. That's the argument convincingly made in 'Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival' by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour. In their oral history, the pair interview hundreds of artists, tour founders and Lollapalooza organizers, among others. In a review for The Times, Marc Ballon calls the account a 'fun, dishy and surprisingly moving read.' (Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to whose fees support independent bookstores.) Even warriors and queens, and warrior queens, risk it all for love. Join me — and legendary romantasy authors Melissa de la Cruz, Kristen Ciccarelli, Rachel Howzell Hall and Amalie Howard — at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books for a discussion on revolutionary romance. Tickets required. In early 2020, Albert Jones was sitting in his cell on San Quentin's death row as he had every day for nearly three decades, when reports of a mysterious respiratory illness started to circulate. Through it all, Jones kept detailed journals chronicling his anxiety over catching the 'killer virus.' And when he did contract COVID, he recounted his agonizing recovery. Now, a Sonoma County bookseller who sees Jones' collected works as a rare glimpse into one of America's most notorious cell blocks is selling some of his writing and prison memorabilia at a New York City book fair. Krysten Ritter was on vacation in Mexico 13 years ago when a man on a bike approached her. He was looking for his partner who vanished without a trace. In her new novel, which she co-wrote with Lindsay Jamieson, she takes that incident and turns it into a 'hall of distorted mirrors' thriller called 'Retreat.' At 50, Chelsea Handler has it all, including her sixth No. 1 New York Times bestseller, 'I'll Have What She's Having.' 'I'm so proud of myself for never falling into getting married or having a baby when I know those things aren't natural to who I am,' she tells The Times. In Kevin Nguyen's gripping novel, the U.S. government sets up internment camps for citizens of Vietnamese ancestry following a wave of terrorist attacks. Lauren LeBlanc reviews 'My Documents' for The Times. This week we hopped on the phone with Paul Bradley Carr, Silicon Valley journalist turned co-owner of the Best Bookstore in Palm Springs. Carr and his partner Sarah Lacy relocated to Palm Springs in 2019. To their dismay, there was no bookstore in town. So in 2022, they opened their own. Though Carr says at his age the ideas of festivals 'exhaust' him, the Coachella Valley local offers up a recommendation for both festival revelers — and avoiders. What are the most popular titles at your store lately? The No. 1 thing that's been flying off the shelves is this Facebook book, 'Careless People.' That's just selling by the bucketload. Since Facebook tried to stop it, we can't keep it in stock. That book was not going to do well. ... [Now] everybody wants this book. And then the other one in Palm Springs is 'The Guncle' by Steven Rowley, which just keeps selling. We sold more than a thousand copies. It won the Thurber Prize last year. It's set in Palm Springs. It's a deeply funny book, but also about grief. It's got something for everyone. 'The Snowbirds' by Christina Clancy has just started flying as well, which just came out a couple of weeks ago. What are upcoming titles you're excited about? The No. 1 I'm most excited about is my own book. It's called 'The Confessions.' … It's really a book about how we trust technology with all of our secrets and what happens if technology decides to confess them all on our behalf. It's the AI thriller for people who definitely don't want to read an AI thriller. I'm also very much looking forward to 'Notes to John,' the Joan Didion book about the letters that she wrote to her husband about her therapy sessions. It's a collection of those. It's wild. Vauhini Vara's new book, 'Searches.' Her sister died and she got ChatGPT to write an article about it to figure out the connection between humanity and technology and how technology can help us deal with human things. And this is the book spinoff where she explores human consciousness and technology consciousness. It's a really surreal book. On the mystery side, 'Fair Play' by Louise Hegarty is f— amazing. … It's a really modern, interesting, bizarre take on the murder mystery. I'm only about halfway through, but I cannot wait for this book to be in store. It's brilliant. Can you recommend a book that gives festival energy? I'm 45 years old [laughs]. The idea of festivals just exhausts me. I want to stay at home with a book and not go to a festival. But I understand the premise of your question. I would stay at home and I would read Sarah Tomlinson's 'The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers,' which is a brilliant book about fame and fandom and rock stars. It's the novel for if you have read 'Daisy Jones and the Six' and you're wondering what else to read. The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs is located at 180 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs 92262 See you in the stacks — or on Goodreads!
