April is Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month. We have a number of events going on this month, but we want to keep everyone aware of the campaigns that are also going on. We encourage you to join us when and where you can.
April 4th – 8th: Green Dot Week
The first official week is Green Dot Week! This week we encourage everyone wear green, learn more about Green Dot, and teach it to someone else! Follow Green Dot GC/KY and Green Dot Maysville to learn how we are partnering with schools and communities to prevent violence. A green dot is any small action someone takes to prevent violence from occurring or getting worse. What’s your green dot?
April 4th – 15th: Wear Teal Week
Week 2 is Wear Teal Week. In 2000, sexual violence coalitions from across the country voted to designate the color teal as the official color of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the teal ribbon was adopted as a symbol of awareness and prevention. Teal is the color of our movement. We encourage you to wear teal this week. Post photos of yourself wearing teal and tag us so we can see (@theioncenter)!
April 18th – 22nd: Chalk The Walk & Rock Kindness Week
The third week we invite you to take our message to the streets…and sidewalks! Join us in chalking/rocking the walk for Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month. Write messages of awareness, hope, and prevention with chalk on the sidewalk in front of your home or business or paint rocks with positive messages and leave around town. You can make it a class project to decorate the walk around the school or any other chalk/rock-able surface (with permission, as needed). Take pictures and tag us on social media! Your actions count!
April 27th: Denim Day
Denim Day is a national event that began in 1992 as a protest after the Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a driving instructor who raped an 18 year old. The court’s reasoning was that the survivor’s jeans were “very, very tight” and “she would have had to help him remove them, which would be considered consensual sex, not rape.” Women in the Italian parliament wore jeans to protest; California’s state senate did the same and now it is an international event. We encourage everyone to wear jeans on April 27th. Visit denimdayinfo.org to learn more.
April 25th – 29th: Transforming Harm Week
The final week of Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month is Transforming Harm Week. We are encouraging everyone to spend some time navigating the website transformharm.org and reviewing articles on topics like transformative justice, community accountability, restorative justice, abolition, healing justice, and carceral feminisms.