Denim Day: Sample Letter to Colleagues

Please join me in showing support for Denim Day on Wednesday, April 24^th!

This year marks the 21^st celebration of Denim Day.  For those of you who are not familiar with this event, Denim Day is the annual sexual assault awareness event that works to start conversations about the destructive attitudes surrounding sexual assault, such as victim blaming. Denim Day especially focuses on raising awareness about abuse and violence against women and children

There are several ways we can show support for Denim Day: (include whatever has been agreed with your manager)

• Wearing jeans
• Wearing a denim shirt or blazer
• Wearing an “Ask Me About Denim Day” sticker

Participating in Denim Day provides a wonderful opportunity for (our company/our office/our team/etc.) to show solidarity with survivors of abuse around the country and to think about how we can work in our personal and professional lives to reduce violence in our communities.

Please contact me with any questions about participation in Denim Day!

Best (or greeting of your choice)

___________________________

The Denim Day campaign was originally triggered by a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent.  The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against destructive attitudes about sexual assault. In this campaign we ask community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault. This year’s Denim Day will be held on April 24, 2019.