Wednesday, April 26th is Denim Day, a day to wear jeans with a purpose.
It's a day being observed around the world, including in Washtenaw County. 89.1 WEMU'S Lisa Barry spoke with Eastern Michigan University Crime Prevention Coordinator Officer Candace Dorsey about local participation.
It’s part of Sexual Violence Awareness Month and stems from an Italian supreme court case 18 years ago, where a rape conviction was overturned, because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped her rapist remove them, implying consent.
Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault.
There are many Washtenaw County events taking place, including on the Eastern Michigan University campus. EMU Crime Prevention Officer Candace Dorsey explains they will be offering educational materials in the EMU Student Center from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
“We talk about the laws, we talk about what sexual assault is, and what consent is,” says Dorsey.
Officer Dorsey says she believes sexual assault is a vastly unreported crime surrounded by a lot of confusion.
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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu
