Locals don heels, raise awareness of assualt victims
At the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes parade Thursday night, Benjamin, along with law enforcement and other local residents, donned women’s shoes and walked through the Vista.
The parade was organized by Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands (STSM) to raise awareness of sexual assault prevention and services to aid sexual assault victims in the Midlands.
Karen Sundstrom, a local resident who volunteers with STSM, said that the walk allows participants to have fun while raising awareness about a serious issue.
“We can deal with a serious issue and not take ourselves too seriously,” Sundstrom said.
The event called for participants, mostly men, to wear high heels while walking in the parade. Benjamin, along with local sheriffs and chiefs of police led the parade around the mile-long loop, which started and ended at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
While the women could wear shoes of their choice, men who were a part of the walk wore women’s shoes of all types. STSM included a tutorial on their web site that gave tips to men about finding and decorating their shoes for the event.
Participants also wore shirts and carried signs that displayed messages advocating for sexual assault prevention.
Sexual assault survivors that were participating in the event wore a teal ribbon while those who had a friend or family member that is a sexual assault survivor wore a white ribbon.
Sundstrom said that in addition to sexual assault prevention, the event will hopefully let victims know that there is a place that they can to go for help.
“It gives us a chance to let people know we’re here,” Sundstrom said. “If you need us, call us.”
STSM offers many programs provided for sexual assault victims. These include a 24-hour hotline, legal assistance and counseling services.
The organization also offers outreach and education programs for youth and adults in the Midlands.
The walk was one of many events STSM is organizing as part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Other events include a golf tournament, film screening and women’s self defense class.
Ginny Waller, director of STSM, said that the walk is in its third year. Waller said she hopes the walk will “get people talking” about sexual assault prevention.
Many participants were part of groups such as Palmetto Health, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, USCPD and Fort Jackson Criminal Investigation Department.
Lorenzo Dukes, a Fort Jackson CID investigator said that he hopes the walk will raise awareness about the widespread issue of sexual assault.
“Every community is affected by sexual assault,” Dukes said.
Dukes also said that he thinks events such as the walk are very important, not just to the Midlands, but to all communities because not enough people are aware of how widespread of a problem sexual assault is.
“(People) might walk past victims of sexual assault every day and never even know it,” Dukes said.“Everybody needs help sometime.”