Everyone knows the old saying, “You cannot really understand another person’s experience unless you have walked a mile in their shoes.” The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event brings this experience to life.
Mississippi State University’s Sexual Assault Services along with National Pan-Hellenic and Inter-Fraternity Council are sponsoring the event for a second year.
The program is The International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence and will be held Monday at 4 p.m. on the Drill Field.
The event educates men about assault, a very serious subject among women. During the program, men are challenged to literally walk a mile in women’s shoes to show their support for survivors of sexual violence.
While not an easy task for men, it is something that brings awareness to both men and women about gender relations and sexual violence.
At MSU’s first Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event last year, over 350 people attended and 150 participated. Last year’s event proved to be a success and this year MSU should be on second place on a national level and third in an international level.
Kendrick Bailey, a member of the Sexual Assualt Response Team and staff counselor at the Student Counseling Services, said the original Walk A Mile in Her Shoes program was started in 2001 in California by a man named Frank Baird.
“It started out as a fun way to address a serious issue in the community,” Bailey said. “Each year we put on a program, we try to increase the support because the more people become aware of how prevalent this act is in the community, the more they can learn how to protect themselves.”
This event allows courageous men to step outside themselves and experience what women go through every day, Bailey said.
Senior chemical engineering major Christopher Dawson said, like most men, was shocked to hear about wearing women’s shoes.
“It’s uncomfortable wearing flat church shoes on a Sunday morning for 2-3 hours,” Dawson said. “But high heels for a mile? No way! However, I see it as a promise to the women around the world. A promise saying, ‘I emphasize and I will work to prevent abuses of all kinds.’ As such, I don’t mind making that promise.”
Rebecca Atkinson, secretary for the National Pan-Hellenic Council and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority president, Rebecca Atkinson, said the program is one of the most dynamic methods to inform campus about domestic violence issues.
“The campaign is something that quickly grabs your attention and catches the eye while informing others about sexual assault,” Atkinson said. “More often than not, men are not as vocal as women when speaking out against assault, but this campaign allows men to express the idea that assault affects people of both genders, not just women. This is an exciting campaign that we look forward to helping out with every year.”
Sexual Assault Services invites all students to participate. Interested students can stop by 115C Hathorn Hall on or before March 5 before 5 p.m. to sign up. Registration is free and shoes will be provided.