On April 15, 2023, Blackburn Center will host its 12th annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® event at St. Clair Park in Greensburg. This year, the theme for the Walk is solidarity. At the Walk, we will be asking participants to show solidarity with victims and survivors of gender-based violence.
Solidarity is an awareness of shared interests and objectives among members of a group or between people. When you show solidarity, you are supporting another person or group of people. For example, you might show solidarity by showing up at a rally in support of a particular cause, or by donating to an organization that is important to you.
One great way to show solidarity is by participating in our 2023 Walk. But even if you can’t go, you can still support our mission by helping us create a unique, artistic banner for the event.
Shoes have long been a focal point of the Walk. The original concept of Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® was to have men walk in high-heeled shoes to actively confront gender stereotypes and expectations. Wearing high heels is a chance for men to acknowledge the path that women walk every day: being constantly vigilant about the potential of being assaulted when they’re on the street or on a date, or even in their own homes.
Of course, women aren’t the only people who wear high heels – and many women don’t wear high heels at all! At Blackburn Center’s Walk, we welcome participants to whatever shoes they would prefer. We also ask anyone who chooses to wear high heels to wear them in the spirit that we intend.
How Can You Show Solidarity?
For this year’s Walk, we are asking people to show off their shoes in a different way: by sending us pictures of themselves in shoes of their choice standing, walking, dancing, or doing anything else. The twist is that we only want pictures of your shoes. We will then create a mosaic of these photographs that will be displayed at the Walk.
If you’d like to participate, please send pictures to us at shelbim@blackburncenter.org by April 6, 2023. Even if you can’t make it to the Walk, we’d love for you to send us pictures. Doing so is a great way to show that you stand with victims and survivors, regardless of whether you can be physically present at the Walk.
If you would like to join us to Walk a Mile in Her Shoes®, you can register via our website. The Walk will take place on April 15, 2023 at St. Clair Park in Greensburg. We hope to see you there!
As always, if you need help, we are here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-888-832-2272 (TDD Available). Our hotline is always free of charge and can be anonymous.