Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Event Today

Written by Kate Ieronimo

     Today, April 30, 2011, was the 4^th annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes walk at Samaritan Hospital. This event is to help raise awareness of sexual assault and violence, and the proceeds help benefit the sexual assault center at Samaritan Hospital. People attending this event are encouraged to wear high heels. Wearing high heels when walking a mile can hurt their feet, which represents the pain that people go through after a sexual assault. A significant number of people attended this event for a great cause.

     Before the walk had started, two victims of sexual assault discussed their own experiences, and how it relates to the pain people experience after the assault, where “walking in their shoes” relates to experiencing what they are going through. It was stated that at every few seconds, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted and sexual assault happens to both males and females. It was also stated that females have a higher rate of sexual assault than men. Sexual assault itself was noted as a societal issue.

    It was encouraged that people wore high heels, but most just wore a comfortable pair of shoes. Mostly men wore high heels, which was a good thing because the point of having their feet hurt walking in heels is to have them be aware of the pain women go through after a sexual assault. Walking in heels has men feel the pain like women do after they had been assaulted. The mile long walk went around the surrounding streets of Samaritan Hospital, which was 15^th Street, Hoosick Street, and back to where they started. After the mile long walk, each person received a gift bag.

     It was not only the walk that took place in this event. Russell Sage College’s Women Changing the World class was fundraising for Denim Day, which is also to raise awareness and support victims of sexual assault. A few students were selling denim squares that people design however they would like. The squares will then be sewed into a quilt that will be hung on display in the hospital.