Monday, October 27, 2008

Special Lead Paper

Put Yourself in Her Shoes

Wearing hot pink patent leather heals, Kelsey L. Hodgin strutted back and forth on the grass for the men who stood in awe wearing their own pair of high heals.
Hodgin walked with ease next to her wobbling friends in heals for a mile march near campus.
Hodgin was one of the many participants in the fundraiser Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The International March to stop sexual assault, rape and domestic violence, hosted by Panhellenic and IFC Councils. Everyone met on the lawn between Beta Theta Pi and Alpha Gamma Rho on Saturday afternoon.
The men and women who joined together for the march raised over $2,000 which was donated to Alternatives to Violence in the Palouse for violence prevention efforts and rape crisis services in the local Pullman community.
“This event couldn’t have come at a better time considering the three assaults that occurred earlier this week,” Lauren B. Koszarek, a junior at Washington State University who also participated in the march, said. “I hate that I don’t feel safe walking in the dark, especially when I’m alone.”
According to the web site, http://www.walkamileinhershoes.org, for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, one in six women in America are victims of sexual assault. Having this event helped educate the Pullman community to improve gender relationships and decreasing the potential for violence.
“I was glad to have the opportunity to participate in this fundraiser this month considering October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month,“ Hodgin, a sophomore at WSU, said. “I wanted to help bring awareness to the issue at hand. We are the generation that has to lead people to stop this violence.”
Wearing heals was optional, however most everyone chose to wear them to support the cause. Payless Shoe Source donated heals in sizes that would fit the men who participated.
“It was hilarious seeing all the men wearing high heals,” Hodgin said. “It looked like they were trying to use them as ice skates on the cement.”
Everyone who participated in the event paid a $10 entry fee which covered the cost of the t-shirt worn for the mile long march. The black t-shirt has a women wearing high heals that says ‘put yourself in her shoes.’
“Having the men participate and actually wear high heals the whole time shows how supportive and understanding they are over this issue,” Koszarek said.
Before the march, the participants read the pledge for the event in unison. “It was an amazing experience to be apart of,” said Koszarek. “While we marched the mile in our heals and matching shirts, we all chanted ‘stop the violence and rape, walk a mile in her shoes.’”
According to the web site, there are 126 walks scheduled in 2008 throughout the United States. There has been an increasing number of men, women and families joining the marches each year.
The march took approximately 20 minutes for every participant to complete. Men in their heals raced to the front to finish.
“Even though I didn’t make a direct attempt to stop the violence, I felt like I contributed just by being there for support, creating awareness and having a good time,” Hodgin said.

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