Denim Day at UH Hilo raises awareness to help prevent sexual violence
“The work of our OEO/Title IX Office is so important in raising awareness and helping to prevent sexual violence,” says UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
To mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s Office of Equal Opportunity/Title IX (OEO), in collaboration with Kīpuka Native Hawaiian Student Center and its First Year Experience Program, encouraged all in the university community to wear denim to campus on Wednesday, April 29, as a symbol against sexual assault and a commitment to consent.
“The work of our OEO/Title IX Office is so important in raising awareness and helping to prevent sexual violence,” says UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin. “I admire the student workers’ dedication to highlighting this important issue and showing up to support survivors.”
Now globally recognized, Denim Day was created in response to a 1999 ruling from the Italian Supreme Court overturning a rape conviction based on the fact that the victim was wearing tight jeans. The court ruled that the victim must have helped the perpetrator in removing the jeans, thereby giving consent. As a sign of protest to the ruling, members of the Italian Parliament wore jeans to work.
In addition to wearing denim to campus on Wednesday, staff from UH Hilo Counseling Services, Student Health & Wellness Programs, and the LGBGT+ Center joined OEO staff at the Mookini Library lānai to share information and resources with the campus community.
Students, staff, and administrators signed a pledge “to make our campus one where we support and care for each other,” says Shaunda Makaimoku, interim director of OEO.
The group also decorated denim keychains and documented their camaraderie in a photo booth.
“Mahalo to all who came out, wore denim and are committed to ending sexual violence,” says Makaimoku.
Story by Susan Enright, public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
Photos courtesy of the UH Hilo Office of Equal Opportunity/Title IX.
