Delilah Martinez said too often do we normalize weird and creepy behavior by men towards women on the CTA.
"I'm tired of women feeling like we have to adapt to the social setting that we're in, whether that's dressing down, hiding ourselves, putting our headphones on, looking down, looking mean, not wanting to smile," she said.
That's why she started a campaign called "Protect Women. Period." It was born out of a conversation Martinez had with the teenage girls she mentors through her program Big Sis Club.
"They have had issues taking the CTA, whether it be their phone is getting stolen, men are following them, men are invading their space by asking for a hug or just making women feel unsafe," she said. "I feel like I had to do something about it."
Martinez said the campaign features safety resources for women and social media content, including interviews with influential men in Martinez's life.
"I started to interview them and asking them, 'Why is it important to protect women?' and what men could do to step in whenever women feel vulnerable, unheard or unsafe," she said. "I feel that men listen to men. So, how do we influence men? And that's by men stepping in to be part of our movement of safety."
She said she hopes to eventually install billboards and get campaign materials on CTA trains. She is also speaking with the Mayor's Office and the CTA about ways to collaborate on the campaign.
"I want women to feel heard," she said. "I want women to know that their calls for help, their vulnerability and them feeling unsafe is heard. It's noticed, and it's valued and it's important that we do something about it."
