It was 1999 and a news story on CNN told the story of Italian Female Parliamentarians wearing jeans to protest the Supreme Court Justice’s overturning a lower court’s rape conviction. The reason he gave was because the 18 year old girl was wearing tight jeans and they could not be removed without her help, implying consent. The Roman Parliamentarians were furious; they called it “the jeans alibi.” California lawmakers took action and wore jeans on the steps of the CA State Capitol in Sacramento in solidarity with the Roman legislators. That is what inspired the first Denim Day in Los Angeles.
Impact:
Over the last 25 years, Denim Day has reached over one hundred million individuals. People in all 50 states and in over 100 countries have worn jeans on purpose. Colleges and universities, corporations and businesses, communities and groups, entire cities and states have declared Denim Day. This campaign along with other movement organizing has empowered victim/survivors, created allies, influenced legislation, educated the jury pool, motivated high school and college students, and gave voice to those who had been silenced. The goal has been to encourage people to wear jeans with purpose, support survivors, educate yourself and others, and challenge rape culture and mysogynistic victim blaming.
Anti-Sexual Violence Movement:
Mark and Avis Ridley-Thomas founded the Rosa Parks Rape Crisis Center in 1984. As staunch advocates for sexual assault prevention, intervention and treatment services, this center carries on the legacy of Rosa Parks in her fight against sexual violence. Long before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, she was an investigator for the NAACP who advocated for rape victim Recy Taylor. Today, Avis continues the fight to eradicate sexual violence and was recognized for her efforts by Peace Over Violence, a non-profit social service agency dedicated to eliminating rape.
A Call to Action
This year our overarching theme for the Denim Day campaign is: sexual violence ends with all of us.
Wear jeans with a purpose on Wednesday, April 24th!
