User:Kkramoss/sandbox

Summary and History

The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Event is a program that gives men an opportunity to combat sexual violence against women. Created by Frank Baird in 2001, the event aims to unite all individuals -regardless of age and gender- to educate communities about the mental and physical strains that sexual violence places on people. It allows for an environment of solidarity within the circle of victims. A movement starting out as a small group of men protesting in a park has now transformed into a worldwide movement that includes tens of thousands of citizens, ranging from children to adults. They stand together in order raise awareness and to give a voice to the people who have suppressed their voice in fear. The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes program encourages everyone to take the skills and knowledge they learn to stop the normalization of domestic violence and sexual assault by changing others'- as well as their own- perspectives. Men and others who participate in the event are encouraged to walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes to protest sexual violence, educate their communities, raise money for chronically underfunded rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, and other sexualized violence prevention and recovery services. The YWCA in Edmonton, Alberta for the Counselling Centre and GirlSpace programs made record contributions of $200,000 on September 21, 2016.

Although the programs mission is to raise awareness for sexual violence against women, the marches have received controversy from some believing it undermines gender inequality and stereotypes, rather than strengthening them. In the article, Men Just Weren’t Made to Do This: Performances of Drag at “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” Marches, Dr. Tristan S. Bridges, assistant professor of sociology at The College at Brockport, SUNY, describes how the marches create this bias. The case study examines how these events “attempt to leverage the political potential of performances of drag – and its explicit gender hierarchies- for the purposes of producing empathy in men” (6).

The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Event: The International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence, is a walk that gives men the opportunity to combat sexual violence against women. The phrase, “You can't really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes”, is the exact embodiment of the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Event. Created by Frank Baird in 2001, the event aims to unite everyone of all ages and genders to educate individuals and communities about the causes and effects of men’s sexual violence against women. It also also lets them express solidarity with victims of violence. What originally started out with a small group of men protesting in a park, is now a world-wide movement, where tens of thousands of men, women, and children, stand together to raise awareness on an issue that people still struggle to talk about. Walk a Mile in Her Shoes hopes that individuals will take the skills and knowledge they learn to prevent the toleration of domestic violence and sexual assault to change others'- as well as their own- perspectives. This in turn creates progress in eliminating potential sexual violence. Many men who participate in the event are encouraged to literally walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes to protest sexual violence, educate their communities and raise money for chronically underfunded rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and other sexualized violence prevention and recovery services. The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes showcases the fact that men are willing to stand up with women to ensure a safer world for everyone.