Walk a Mile in Her Shoes April 12th at ULM

“Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” an event to raise awareness of sexual assault and gender violence, is 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 12 at the University of Louisiana Monroe.

Sponsored for the second year by the ULM Femhawks, other sponsors are The WellSpring and the Sexual Assault Response Team of Ouachita Parish. The walk is presented by the College of Arts, Education and Science.

Registration starts at 3:30 p.m. at the quad. The walk begins there at 4 p.m. and crosses the Bayou DeSiard Bridge, then crosses back over the bayou on the walking bridge.

The walk ends at Bayou Park where at 4:30 p.m. will be a candlelight vigil for survivors of domestic violence. There will be speakers from the sponsors and a discussion on sexual violence.

Jaleesa Harris, English instructor in ULM’s School of Humanities, said the purpose of the event is to encourage gender solidarity.

“It's literally asking for others to walk in the shoes of a person who has been effected by domestic violence and/or sexual abuse,” Harris said. “By walking in that person's shoes, we began to empathize and understand just a fraction of what they have endured and see the strength that it takes to pull through. We invite both the campus community and the local community to participate in this walk.”

Ansell Jordan, ULM student and participant in last year’s walk, said the walk helped him have a better understanding and compassion for victims of sexual assault.

“I believe that you never know what someone is going through or has experienced. It is good to be involved and be able to be empathetic towards others,” Jordan said.

All are invited to participate, with or without heels.

For registration details or more information, contact Jaleesa Harris at jharris@ulm.edu or Melanie Clark at mclark@wellspringalliance.org.