By Aubrey Hastings
Student Life Editor
The mission is to create a unique and powerful public experience that educates individuals and communities while providing prevention and remediation strategies to help end sexual violence. The spectacle is a host of young Shoremen donning red high heels down Route 213. The event is titled “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes,” and Washington College is in its second annual year of hosting the event. The walk on April 28 was a reflection of walking a mile in the shoes of sexual violence victims around the world.
“Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is a keystone event that brings men into the issue of solving sexual assault. It’s important to remember that while most rapes are committed by men, most men do not rape. So often in our society men are only viewed as the problem and through events like this, we can help men be seen as part of the solution,” said Director of Student Development Beth Anne Langrell. She also serves as For All Seasons, Inc. Board President, a local rape crisis center.
Langrell’s office located in the WC Office of Student Affairs is where the project is housed. She and Walk A Mile coordinator and intern sophomore Caitlyn Robinson, served to put the project together this year.
A total of 81 young men participated in the event by walking in red heels. The total number of participants that day was 137 male and female alike. Langrell is thrilled at the turn out for the event.
Walk a Mile started when Langrell saw an article in the local paper about the event that took place at an area college. The idea was being tossed around between several people and then took shape through a former student serving as her intern last spring through Dr. Andrea Lange’s victimology class.
“I feel that Walk A Mile is a fun way to remind the Washington College Campus and the community that even though Chestertown is a small town, we have victims of sexual violence too. I feel that the event was a huge success. It is always nice to see the campus and community come together to raise money and awareness for such an important cause as ending sexual violence,” said Robinson.
The cost was only five dollars to participate. One hundred percent of proceeds raised at the Walk A Mile event was donated to For All Seasons Mental Health Clinic and Rape Crisis Center. The event raised over 800 dollars that will be used towards services for victims.
“Thank you to all the members of the community who came out to support the Rape Crisis center,” said Langrell.
As the old saying goes, you cannot judge someone before you walk a mile in their shoes. Of course no one can ever fully understand the day to day life of a victim of sexual violence unless one has been there himself. However, Walk A Mile strives to bring awareness to this otherwise mostly silent degrading act of violence. As the Shoremen bravely walked the streets in their red high heels, they were doing more than evoking stares from drivers by the LFC; they were giving victims silenced by sexual violence a voice in the Chestertown community.
May 6, 2011
Volume LXXXI Issue 25