On March 30th, the annual ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ event will be taking place right along Temple University’s main campus. This will be the 5th year that the Wellness Resource Center will be hosting this event, along with many local supporters. Starting at 11a.m., the route will begin and end at Founders Garden. The walk will be held from 11 to 1p.m.
According to WAMIHS’s site, the event is an opportunity for men to raise awareness and help stop rape, sexual assault and violence against women. Men are asked to wear high heels while participating in this event since it is believed that wearing commonly female shoes will give them a taste of what it’s like to feel as a woman. It also is strongly encouraged to give men the chance to open up about the sexual violence.
While the event focuses on men walking in women’s shoes, that isn’t the importance. Sexual violence or rape or assault is a difficult yet often hidden topic. Despite this generation attempting to raise more awareness and get others informed, it’s still dismissed. The people who are part of this event want more people to understand and learn the scary statistics and incidents that occur in our society. The WAMIHS site states that every two minutes someone in America is raped and one in six American women are victims of sexual assault.
By just going off these two statistics alone, the organization wants men to know that it’s not just a woman issue. Any of the following women in these two statistics could have personal or friendship relations to these men and it’s horrific to even think about these women possibility being part of those two terrifying statistics.
Frank Baird, the creator, started this event in 2001. Originally, it was a small group of men who were dared to do this around a park. Soon enough, this small group of men turned into a world-wide movement with thousands of men participating and raising millions. The money is donated to local rape centers, domestic violence shelters or any place where people can go for safety and education on issues such as these.
Throughout the years, the percentage of men who became part of this powerful event have exploded. However, there’s always room for thousands of other men to join. Last year, Temple University had 270 men participate in the walk. This year, the number will hopefully increase.
To find out more information about the walk at Temple, you can go onto the campus’s site and search up the event. To find out more information in general, check out WAMIHS’ site: http://www.walkamileinhershoes.org/