April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

As part of the College of Staten Island’s commitment to ensuring a safe campus environment for all community members, and recognizing and supporting survivors of sexual assault, CSI will be partaking in Denim Day on Wednesday, Apr. 26. We are asking all campus community members to wear denim that day as a show of solidarity to survivors of sexual assault.

Denim Day began as day of awareness in 1999 in response to an Italian case that saw the sexual assault conviction overturned by the Italian Supreme Court. In their decision, the justices wrote that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped her attacker remove them — making consent implicit. Protests followed in both Italy and the United States, and now we mark the day by wearing jeans (or some type of denim) to show solidarity with sexual assault survivors.

Below are some additional dates to keep in mind, furnished by the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence:

  • Apr. 25-27: Denim Day Installation in the Empire State Plaza featuring the resiliency of survivors and highlighting providers throughout New York State. We invite you to visit the installation to learn more about the importance of Denim Day and hear from service providers and survivors.
  • Apr. 26: Wear denim in honor of Denim Day
  • Apr. 26 at 2:00pm: Denim Day Live Twitter chat for anyone who wants to talk about Sexual Assault Awareness Month
  • Apr. 26: New York State Assets lit up in teal

Post on social media; follow @NYSOPDV on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter; and engage with posts by sharing, liking, and commenting using the hashtags #StartTheConversation , #SAAM2023, and #DenimDay. You can also repost OPDV’s social media posts and show the people who follow you that you’re an ally to survivors. When posting about gender-based violence, always include information for the NYS Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline, which can be reached 24/7 in most languages: call 800.942.6906, text 844-997-2121, or chat at opdv.ny.gov.

Please join CSI and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s (ODEI) Institutional Equity and Title IX Office in this show of solidarity.

By Institutional Equity and Title IX