Basketball Volunteers with "Walk A Mile In Her Shoes"
October 19, 2012
Written by Anita Howard
Winston-Salem, NC-There is a saying that goes, "You can't
really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in
their shoes." Well, on October 13th
members of the Salem College basketball team joined the award-winning Walk a
Mile in Her Shoes event before gearing up for their 2012-2013 basketball
season. Walk
a Mile in Her Shoes asks men to literally walk one mile in women's high-heeled
shoes. This event is an International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual
Assault & Gender Violence as well as
highlight the role that men play in creating a solution. The Spirits took part in this playful opportunity as
they put together a team of men to participate in the walk to raise awareness
in the community for this serious cause. The Salem Spirits assisted male participants
as they put on a pair of high heels
and walked a mile together as part of the Winston-Salem Family Services'
"Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" event. Alongside members of the community and several
male participants, the Spirits walked a mile cheering and chanting, “THERE’S NO
EXCUSE FOR ABUSE” to help raise awareness for the cause. It wasn’t easy
walking in women’s shoes, as Salem College Assistant Coach Theo Howard found
out, but that was the whole point.
Head Coach Anita Howard says, “This event provides an opportunity to get our Salem community talking about something that's been difficult to discuss or not a popular topic of conversation on how men and women must work together to end domestic violence. I want my student athletes to understand that violence of any sort is simply unacceptable. We need to maintain open communication about this issue, so we can prevent it from happening.”
Remember, sexualized violence does not just affect women. It affects the men who care about them, their families, their friends, their coworkers, and their communities.
