Men in stiletos will be parading the streets this Saturday to raise awareness about rape, sexual assault and gender violence against women.
Ohio University will host its fifth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes march. The event raises money for the OU Survivor Advocacy Program.
When the march was first held in 2008, it garnered 50 participants. It has grown since its inception, reeling in 150 participants at last year’s event.
“This year, we’re expecting the same amount or even more, so it’s definitely gaining notoriety on campus,” said Rich Freeman, co-coordinator of the event and a second-year master’s student in the public administration program.
Men can sign up before the event and on the day of the march from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The march invites only men to walk the path while wearing women’s shoes provided by the Women’s Center.
“I believe this event is important because it opens the door for this campus to start talking about gender roles and sexual assault as a serious issue,” said Emma Wright, the Women’s Affairs commissioner for Student Senate. “This will begin the conversation for how men can play a role in ending sexual violence.”
People at the event can contribute donations or purchase T-shirts for $8. All proceeds benefit the OU Survivor Advocacy Program. After the walk, there will be a celebration in the Women’s Center.
The walk is one mile and will start at the Women’s Center, move up Court Street and make a circle until the march ends back at the front of Baker Center. The men will march on the sidewalks while female supporters cheer them on with signs.
The women who attend the event contribute more than their sideline cheers; this year, the women helped with the planning and organization of the event.
“We wanted to give women a bigger role because you can’t preach that you want a collaborative effort and then when it goes into making the actual event happen, it’s not,” Freeman said. “We wanted to incorporate everyone.”
Thomas Raabe, a graduate student in the master of public administration program, will be a part of this event for his fifth consecutive year.
“The atmosphere is very energetic to start,” Raabe said. “The purpose of the event is to get men talking about a serious issue. So, to do that, obviously you have a little fun and you put on 3-inch stilettos. It gets men thinking.”
Though the event is meant to be fun, Freeman said it has a serious purpose.
“(The) cultural thing is ‘Why was she walking home at 3 o’clock in the morning?’ opposed to ‘Why can’t she walk home at 3 o’clock in the morning?’ ” Freeman said. “Why are we making the survivors part of the problem? That’s what we’re combating.”
je726810@ohiou.edu
