Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Student activists participate in Denim Day to close out Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Allison Lauter ~ Arrow Reporter

As part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), Southeast student activists participated in International Denim Day on Wednesday, April 27, by crafting a denim square that will be added to a collective quilt. The month of April is national Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Campus Violence Prevention Program (CVPP) tied large teal ribbons — the color associated with the movement to end sexual violence — around trees on campus to raise awareness. CVPP, Iota Chi, Redhawks Against Sexual Assault (RASA) and Redhawks Rising closed out SAAM with the final events Denim Day and a unity walk on Thursday, April 29. The roots of Denim Day trace back to Rome, Italy, in 1999, when an 18-year-old girl was raped by her 45-year-old driving instructor. According to denimdayinfo.org/history, the court ultimately ruled since the girl was wearing tight jeans, making it harder for them to come off, it was consensual. Today, activists around the world show support for sexual assault and domestic violence victims by participating in Denim Day.