HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) – Today is Denim Day and events will be held around the country to spread awareness about sexual assault as April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Denim Day is a campaign run by Peace Over Violence that is held every year on a Wednesday in April to show support for survivors of sexual assault. The holiday began in 1999 after women in the Italian Parliament wore jeans to work in protest of the Chief Judge’s decision to overturn a rape conviction because he believed the victim’s tight jeans required two people to remove them.
Demonstrators will march at 5:30 this evening in Kalamazoo from the YWCA to Bronson Park, where there will be a Candlelight Vigil with speakers from the community. Grand Valley State University is also encouraging students to wear denim today.
The Center for Women in Transition in Holland invites you to join them wearing denim today. According to their Facebook page, wearing jeans on April 24 has become a symbol of not blaming victims, holding perpetrators accountable, and coming together as a community to raise awareness and call attention to the issue of sexual assault.
