User:Ieditwords/Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Event is a program that gives men an opportunity to combat sexual violence against women. Created by Frank Baird in 2001, the event aims to unite all individuals -regardless of age and gender- to educate communities about the mental and physical strains that sexual violence places on people. It allows for an environment of solidarity within the circle of victims. A movement starting out as a small group of men protesting in a park has now transformed into a worldwide movement that includes tens of thousands of citizens, ranging from children to adults. They stand together in order raise awareness and to give a voice to the people who have suppressed their voice in fear. The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes program encourages everyone to take the skills and knowledge they learn to stop the normalization of domestic violence and sexual assault by changing others'- as well as their own- perspectives. Men and others who participate in the event are encouraged to walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes to protest sexual violence, educate their communities, raise money for chronically underfunded rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, and other sexualized violence prevention and recovery services. The YWCA in Edmonton, Alberta for the Counselling Centre and GirlSpace programs made record contributions of $200,000 on September 21, 2016.

Although the program's mission is to raise awareness for sexual violence against women, the marches have received controversy from some believing it undermines gender inequality and stereotypes, rather than strengthening them. In the article, Men Just Weren’t Made to Do This: Performances of Drag at "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" marches, Dr. Tristan S. Bridges, assistant professor of sociology at The College at Brockport, SUNY, describes how the marches create this bias. The case study examines how these events "attempt to leverage the political potential of performances of drag – and its explicit gender hierarchies- for the purposes of producing empathy in men".

Awards and honors
Awards


 * 2010 David Lawrence Community Service Awards
 * 2008 Safe Passage Good Samaritan Award
 * 2007 Peter Markin Merit Award
 * 2005 Kaiser’s Everyday Hero Award

Honors


 * 2006 Equality Now: On the Road to Equality, Honoring Men on the Front Lines