Students gathered in the University Student Center on Wednesday for the second-annual Denim Day, where several GW organizations and local nonprofits tabled to raise awareness and donations for sexual assault survivors.
The Student Government Association partnered with 21 organizations for the event, including the Title IX Office, Office of Advocacy and Support, 15 student organizations and four D.C. nonprofits aimed at preventing sexual violence and supporting victims. Organizations at the event fundraised and distributed information about Denim Day, an internationally recognized day to practice solidarity for sexual assault victims.
The SGA and Title IX Office started Denim Day at GW last year in an effort to continue ongoing conversations about sexual harassment prevention programming, which more than 200 students and 22 student groups attended.
Shifa Ali, the SGA director of student life and a senior studying political science, said community members raised $465 for Denim Day this year, which they will donate to My Sister’s Place — a D.C.-based organization providing shelter, therapy and education to end cycles of abuse. She said community members also donated more than 35 pairs of jeans that the SGA will give to survivors of domestic violence at House of Ruth, a local D.C. nonprofit which provides housing for sexual abuse victims.
Ali said the event allowed nonprofits House of Ruth, Volare, the D.C. Rape Crisis Center and the D.C. Coalition to End Sexual Violence to table and raise funds for their organizations and educate students on their services.
Ali said she has “always” worn jeans for Denim Day but now wants to make sure GW’s annual event can continue after she graduates. She said she also wants Denim Day to bring awareness to GW’s other events during sexual assault awareness month, like the art and dance workshops the OAS hosted throughout April.
Many participating organizations hosted activities in addition to collecting donations and distributing information, like Students Against Sexual Assault, who had denim patches for students to write messages of support for survivors and Pi Beta Phi, who created a hand-painted mural.
Rose Unal, a sophomore communications major and Pi Beta Phi vice president of community relations said her sorority’s mural was a way for students to symbolically pledge to raise awareness about sexual violence through leaving signed hand prints on the poster. She said sororities should be knowledgeable and do their part in raising awareness about violence against women to build a sense of community and create a “safe space” on campus.
“As we are a women-first organization, it’s important to do our part, even something small like this,” Unal said.
Lakeeta Scott, a case manager for House of Ruth, which provides support to victims of domestic violence, said the organization chose to run a table to hand out informational pamphlets on their resources and offering private counseling sessions for students who wanted to report sexual abuse incidents.
Scott said House of Ruth comes to college campuses because students are vulnerable to instances of assault. She said people often don’t speak out about their own experiences because of a lack of resources and feeling isolated as a victim despite how common domestic violence is, and the organization wants to make students feel comfortable enough to reach out.
“The atmosphere is always welcoming,” Scott said. “Every booth that I go to, every booth that was here last year, everybody’s so welcoming and giving out information and is just willing to help.”
A University spokesperson said the collaborative aspect of Denim Day — including the SGA, student organizations, Panhellenic sororities and fraternities and local nonprofits all participating — allowed the groups to “pool” their efforts and finances, which they said expanded the event’s ability to prevent and educate on sexual violence. They said the Title IX Office and OAS plan to continue collaborating with student organizations to work towards their goal of a “violence-free GW.”
“We’re excited to be a part of a large collective of organizations working on Denim Day, but we also know the work of sexual harassment prevention does not begin or end with one event,” the University spokesperson said.
Anya Srivastava, an SGA communications staffer and first-year political science and criminal justice student, said she was excited to continue Denim Day at GW after helping organize a similar event at her high school because of her interest in advocacy. She said the SGA’s involvement as a “legitimate” student organization makes students view Denim Day, and thus the issue of sexual violence, as a more serious topic.
“Being able to participate in Denim Day — especially through SGA, which is a very professional platform — not only gives me a chance to use my skills in a very professional way but it also just gives me the means to advocate for people who don’t have a voice at this time in this political climate,” Srivastava said.
Maelee Hurst, the SGA deputy director of communications of the legislative branch and a first-year student studying political science, said she saw Denim Day as a way to educate students on the prominence of sexual assault on college campuses and provide resources for students who may have experienced sexual violence. She said she worked on event organization, including printing flyers to post around campus and asking student organizations, including SASA and IOU, to host tables.
“This year was about, ‘How can we take this beyond April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the day in general?’” Hurst said.
Amelia Nelson contributed reporting.
