Temple guys ‘Walk a Mile’ to raise awareness for sexual assault
As if it isn’t hard enough for women to walk in heels
Temple University hosted their fifth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes today in which athletes, fraternity members and other Temple guys did exactly that – walked one mile wearing high heels or flats. What seems really light hearted is actually done to raise awareness for women’s sexual violence and assault.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an international organization which started to raise awareness for men’s sexualized violence against women in a lighthearted way. The campaign is derived from the popular adage “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” Money raised at each walk goes to local rape crisis centers or domestic violence shelters.
In a ceremony before the walk began, speakers were invited to the stage. A girl from each sorority and female athletes shared signs onstage thanking men in their lives who have helped them in vulnerable times, preventing assault. Men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy discussed the importance of raising awareness of sexual assault on campus.
T shirts decorated by and for survivors
Alumni Circle, the start and end point of the walk, was decorated with tee shirts hung from a clothesline. Each shirt was designed by a survivor of sexual assault, while others were decorated in honor of a victim.
Along the route, volunteers from various organizations stood with more thank you signs while participants held their own, some reading “Violence isn’t love” and “Consent is sexy!”
Brothers of Pi Lambda Phi completing the walk
Football players strutting down Liacouras Walk
Participant carrying his handmade sign down the route
Many victims attend or volunteer for the event for their own personal reasons. A survivor said, “Even though I was raped four years ago, it still affects me whenever I try to be intimate with someone. Being able to help spread awareness and see the campus come out in support means the world to me. I volunteer to make sure it doesn’t happen to someone else and to show other victims they aren’t alone.”
Uneven pathway in heels is a dangerous game
Though the event does bring a lot of awareness to women’s sexual violence, it needs to do much more than just start a conversation; it should propel action. One in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted in college, according to research conducted by the United States Department of Justice. Of those attacks, 90% are never reported. Speaking up in times of crisis should be the norm, and hopefully events like these will help people recognize the signs of a sexual assault and prompt them to intervene.
Photographs courtesy of E. White