Township Times Article #6

National Denim Day Wednesday, April 27

Wearing jeans on “Denim Day,” during April’s National Sexual Assault Awareness Month has become an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault. Community members throughout Saginaw County can show their support by contributing $5.00 and wearing jeans/denim to work. Proceeds will benefit the Sexual Assault Center’s Nurse Examiner Program at Child & Family Services.

While April 27th is officially marked as Denim Day, Carrie Schultz, Marketing and Development Director of C&FS, is quick to say that any day during the year will do. Some companies participate throughout the entire year by having a Denim Day every Friday. Others might pick a certain month.

The history of Denim Day began when in Rome—Italy, 1997, an 18- year-old girl was raped and abandoned by her 45 year old perpetrator in an alley. Undeterred, she prosecuted him and won. The perpetrator was convicted of rape and sentenced to jail.

Months later, in 1998, the perpetrator appealed the sentence. The case made it all the way to the Italian Supreme Court. Within a matter of days the case against the driving instructor was overturned, dismissed, and the perpetrator released.

Why Denim?

In a statement released by the Head Judge, he argued, “Because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them… and by removing the jeans… it was no longer rape but consensual sex.”

Enraged by the verdict, within a matter of hours the women in the Italian Parliament launched into immediate action and protested by wearing jeans to work. This call to action motivated and emboldened the California Senate and Assembly to do the same, and Denim Day was born.

So far this year, there are approximately 45 participating Denim Day Companies. Schultz would like to get more companies involved to help raise awareness of erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault, and to show their support of the invaluable services provided by the Sexual Assault Center’s Nurse Examiner Program at Child & Family Services.

The Sexual Assault Center of C&FS provides 24 hour crisis intervention & advocacy, sexual assault & abuse counseling, victim advocacy, legal advocacy, sexual assault response team, community education & prevention. Child and Family Services is a non-profit agency which has been providing services to individuals and families for over 140 years. Other services include the Employee Wellness Center-EAP and the Counseling Center.

Activities scheduled throughout the month of April include:

April Coffee sleeve awareness campaign begins at your favorite local coffee shop.
April 5, 6:30 p.m. and April 7, 11:00 a.m., Story Time and crafts at Barnes and Noble in Saginaw
April 8, Strike out Sexual Assault Bowl-a-thon at Saginaw’s Stardust Lanes
April 16, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., YMCA Healthy Kids Day at the Saginaw YMCA
April 21, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Happy Bear Takes to the Streets at Child and Family Services 2806 Davenport –please honk!
April 27, Companies participate in National Denim Day
April 28, Bennigan’s Benefit – All Day

For more information on how you and your co-workers can join in on “Wear Denim to Work Day,” e-mail Carrie Schultz, MSA, Development/Marketing Director, Child and Family Services, at cschultz@cfs-saginaw.org, call her at 989-790-7500 ext. 229, or visit their website at www.childandfamilysaginaw.org.