Men will march in women’s heels to increase awareness of violence
It’s been said that to understand someone, it’s necessary to walk a mile in that person’s shoes. Building on that premise, the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Women’s Center, UMKC Violence Prevention and Response Project and the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project are asking men to walk a mile in women’s high-heeled shoes.
UMKC’s third annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes®: An International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence event will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at the University Playhouse near 51st and Holmes Streets in Kansas City, Mo. The march begins at 6 p.m. and a cookout begins at 6:30 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the UMKC Violence Prevention and Response Project and the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project. David Belt, ManUp! coordinator at the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault and Beth Low, Missouri State Representative, will speak at the event.
Participants can win awards for top fundraising teams and individuals. Registration includes a T-shirt and the cookout and is $15 for students with their own heels; $20 for students renting heels; $30 for non-students with their own heels; and $50 for non-students renting heels. Non-participants can purchase cookout tickets for $5. Participants can register, build teams and fundraise online at http://www.firstgiving.com/umkcwomenc. More information on the 2009 event, including award categories, can be found at http://www.umkc.edu/womenc/walkamile.asp.
Frank Baird, a California-based psychotherapist, created Walk A Mile In Her Shoes® in 2001 so men could help prevent sexual assault.
“Violence against women does not just affect women,” Baird has said. “Men are hurt and angered when women they care about are raped. Men are hurt and angered when they try to develop relationships with women in an atmosphere of fear and mistrust and blame. And the same violence that targets women also targets men because rape isn’t about sex. It’s about power, control and violence.”
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience.