Milwaukee City Wire

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is set to host their 3rd annual Denim Day event on Wednesday, April 24, to raise awareness of violence against females. The event, organized by the MPS Department of Gender and Identity Inclusion, aims to educate and create awareness around sexual assault, consent, and trauma.

Glenna Scholle-Malone, Girls of Color coordinator in the Department of Gender and Identity Inclusion, emphasized the importance of equipping young girls with the tools and resources to advocate for themselves and others. She stated, "We know that 1 in 4 Black girls will be assaulted by the age of 18, 1 in 3 victims of sexual assault are under the age of 12, and for every incident that is reported, 15 go unreported."

Scholle-Malone, a survivor herself, believes that empowering young girls of color is crucial in breaking the cycle of sexual assault in families and communities. She will be speaking at the Denim Day event, to be held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The history of Denim Day dates back to Italy in 1998 when the country's supreme court overturned a sexual assault conviction, sparking international outrage. The following day, women in the Italian Parliament wore jeans in protest of the ruling and in support of the victim. This act led to the establishment of Denim Day as an international campaign against victim-blaming and for violence prevention.

Wearing jeans on April 24 with purple is aimed at raising awareness about domestic violence, while wearing them with orange raises awareness of violence against women and girls. The event will see 300 middle and high school students from MPS participate in workshops and discussions focused on intervention, prevention, and support for victims of sexual assault.

Denim Day serves as a reminder of the importance of speaking out against violence and supporting survivors. More information about the event can be found at denimdayinfo.org, and details about the MPS Gender and Identity Inclusion Department are available online.