Members of Residence Life and Greeks Advocating for Healthy Lifestyles recognized Denim Day with their Take Back the Night Walk last Wednesday. Students gathered at the Cope Fountain to walk around campus and see sexual violence statistics in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
After the walk, attendees gathered in the Ponderosa room to listen to speakers talk about sexual assault awareness and the resources offered in the Kearney community for those who experience sexual violence.
“There’s no excuse for this happening to anyone, no matter who they are, what they identify as or what they do for work,” said Kelley Robinson, assistant director of Residence Life.
The event merged the messages of two sexual assault awareness organizations, the Take Back the Night Foundation and Peace Over Violence.
Take Back the Night is a nonprofit organization that started the oldest worldwide movement to stand against sexual violence. It arose in the 1970s, after incidents of violence against women in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles gained nationwide media attention. In the 1980s, hundreds of colleges and universities across the nation held Take Back the Night marches and rallies.
UNK has held Take Back the Night walks throughout its history. After staff and student organization adviser changes, the event was no longer held. Last year, GAMMA and Residence Life brought the walk back.
“The new generation of students just weren’t educated on it,” said Brooke Lubke, a pre-nursing sophomore and co-event coordinator of the GAMMA executive board. “We really wanted to bring that back and bring light to the situation as it is something huge for college students.”
This year, the walk was coordinated with Denim Day.
The organization Peace Over Violence started the Denim Day movement in 1999 to end sexual violence and rape culture. Every year, it holds a seven-day campaign starting on a Wednesday in April called Denim Day. This campaign is dedicated to sexual assault awareness, and supporters are asked to wear jeans in solidarity with survivors of sexual violence.
Denim Day began in Italy in 1992 when an 18-year-old girl was raped by her 45-year-old driving instructor during her first driving lesson. The girl reported the incident, and the perpetrator was arrested and convicted. During the appeal process, the perpetrator argued that the victim was wearing tight jeans and she helped him remove them, therefore, the sexual act was consensual. The courts agreed, and the jeans alibi was born, which resulted in campaigns across the world against sexual violence and victim blaming.
Lubke and her co-chair, Mackenzie Cordes, a sophomore majoring in pre-dental hygiene, organized the Take Back the Night Walk, and Robinson prepared the Denim Day presentation.
“(Sexual assault) happens, unfortunately,” Cordes said. “Making sure students know that and are educated on it is very beneficial, which is why this event is so important.”
Robinson presented on the history of Denim Day, consent and misconceptions about sexual violence. Kayleigh Dawson, the assistant director of the compliance office, spoke about Title IX and the resources available in the compliance office for those experiencing discrimination or harassment. Sally Wiarda, the CARE Team case manager, educated attendees on how to refer friends or classmates who may be experiencing sexual violence or exhibiting violent behaviors to services that can help them.
Students who have experienced sexual violence can contact a 24-hour Confidential Support Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. The Kearney SAFE Center also has a 24-hour crisis line at 877-237-2513.
