men ending violence in high heels

i'm not really about awareness months, as i believe we should be aware and talking about these issues every month. However, this morning, as part of my new job (uh.. the job that has made it nearly impossible for me to keep blogging every day), I participated in an event called Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. Today was a cold and rainy day but still a lot of people came out to walk and we received many donations and pledges - money that will support organizations (like mine) that are working to end violence. As part of the event, men don a pair of high heel shoes and literally walk a mile in them. There will be walks all month throughout the country, check if your city is doing one. The walk came out of the United Gender Movement and the International Men's March to stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence. This movement is looking for ways to include men in the movement to end violence against women. Too often people working in the field of domestic and sexual violence are all women.

There are a lot of organizations that are men actively working to end violence, including Generation Five, One in Four (previously called No More), Men Ending Rape, Men Stopping Violence, A Call to Men, and several more. I commend the men involved in these (and other like-minded) organizations. Violence can't end without it (and while it gets good publicity, walking in high heels isn't enough...)

So if you want to be part of the movement, contact a local anti-violence agency and inquire about volunteering. If you live in the US, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center has a list of state coalitions - or you can check the list posted on the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence website. Some states have joint sexual & domestic violence coalitions, while others have coalitions specific to each issue. Either site is a good place to start to find a local place. If you can't volunteer, make a donation -- every little bit helps.

Ok... stepping off my soapbox now. Oh wait, isn't that what blogs are for?