Purple Shampoo banner
It’s about reproductive justice. And it’s funny. (Really.) ECCHO (Engaging Communities to Change Health Outcomes) is presenting an evening of monologues called Purple Shampoo. The big challenge for any journey towards freedom is the abstraction of it all. The weighty seriousness of it all can be absolutely devastating. ECCHO looks to find freedom in humor as it presents the stories of a group of women. Everyone deserves to be able to make choices about their own bodies. A series of storytellers look to break-down barriers, shatter stigmas and advocate for a more rational world where everyone has basic rights to their own health.
“While we were discussing title options, the conversation shifted to wigs and hair color,” says local program coordinator LaRain Patterson. “I was the only person in the room who was unfamiliar with purple shampoo and its use.” The practice of neutralizing and toning-down brassiness is right at the heart of the program. The aim is for the event to be as educational and inspiring as it is entertaining. That’s a pretty tall order given the nature of the subject matter.
“This is the second-year cohort for ECCHO.” Says Patterson. “Each group gets is encouraged to think radically and decide what intersection of civic health and social determinant of health they want to intersect and make better. The stories are selected and chosen by the cohort members.”
Purple Shampoo takes and inter-generational approach to the storytelling which will attempt to take a look at the timeline of reproductive rights from personal stories that are presented in chronological order. Through looking at the past with heart and conscience, the program looks to envision a future where reproductive justice is a reality for everyone. Ideally this is a chance to engage in the topic of reproductive rights on a more personal emotional level than the discourse is often given to. “Sometimes we laugh so we don’t drown in our tears.” Says Patterson. “We close the production with an introduction to a program we’d like to see implemented.”
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The show takes place the Cooperage, an intimate venue with cream city brick and hardwood that feels ever-so-slightly revolutionary in its own right. It will make for a very powerful space for personal monologue. It also has a delightfully informal sort of a feel about it that should serve the overall atmosphere of the show quite well. The show runs for one performance only. Admission is free.
ECCHO’s Purple Shampoo will be held 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25 at the Cooperage MKE, 822 South Water St. For reservations visit the show’s event page or visit ecchowi.org.
