The last Wednesday of April annually marks Denim Day where people are invited to wear denim to stand in solidarity with victims of sexual assault. To recognize the 25th anniversary of the day, Sanctuary, Inc. is hosting a denim day art exhibit.
Denim Day began after an Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction because the victim was allegedly wearing tight jeans. In protest of the court ruling, members of the Italian Parliament wore jeans to stand against victim blaming.
To recognize the 25th anniversary of Denim Day, Sanctuary Executive Director, Heather Lancaster says they wanted to host an event that would invite community members to participate. Organizations across Sanctuary’s nine-county coverage region decorated pairs of jeans with messages raising awareness of assault.
Within the region, 15 organizations decorated jeans and had them on display at their locations. Some of the participating organizations includes the Hopkinsville Police Department, Milkweed Health & Harmony Emporium and the Pennyroyal Area Museum.
On Monday all of the jeans were put on display at Hopkinsville Community College, and Sanctuary hosted a reception spotlighting Denim Day. At the reception, Lancaster says they talked about the history of Denim Day and why it is annually commemorated.
The reception, concluded Sanctuary’s month of events recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Lancaster says she has already been asked about next year’s Decorate Your Denim campaign, and is looking forward to bringing it back next year and possibly expanding the event.
The decorated jeans will be on display at Hopkinsville Community College until Friday.
Photo courtesy of Sanctuary, Inc. on Facebook