Since 2018, Whitney Bradshaw has been traveling across the United States with OUTCRY, a social practice project in which she leads women through empowering, therapeutic, and community-building scream sessions. She photographs participants mid-scream to create a collective portrait of resistance, encourage individual healing, and build feminist solidarity through radical empathy across life experiences.
OUTCRY scream sessions give women, non-binary, and genderqueer people permission—and a brave space—to take up space and be loud. Many participants share stories they’ve never voiced before; some scream for the first time in their lives. Each two-hour session is intentionally intersectional and includes up to fifteen individuals who often arrive as strangers. Sessions begin with Whitney, a former social worker and sexual abuse survivor, explaining the project’s purpose and sharing her own stories—experiences long silenced under the patriarchy, as well as moments when using her voice protected or empowered her. Her vulnerability sets the tone, creating space for others to feel safe and encouraged to share personal stories, boldly reclaiming the revolutionary power of their voice.
As restrictions on reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, and civil liberties intensify across the United States, OUTCRY offers a form of collective transformation, amplifying women’s voices with an unflinching belief in their power to spark both personal healing and societal change. To date, more than 530 women have participated, their portraits forming a monumental act of resistance.
Both Whitney and OUTCRY are the focus of a short documentary, "OUTCRY: Alchemists of Rage" (2024), directed by Clare Major and produced by Bradshaw and Frankly Speaking Films. The film was shortlisted by the International Documentary Association (IDA) as one of twenty contenders—selected from more than 700 international submissions—for Best Short Documentary Film of 2024.
Learn More: https://www.whitneybradshaw.com/