TurnAround, Inc. will host its second annual Denim Day event on Wednesday, April 24.
Denim Day is a resource fair featuring local survivor-centered organizations tabling and offering therapeutic activities like art, yoga, meditation, and more. Attendees are invited to wear their favorite denim to show solidarity with survivors of sexual violence and stand up against victim blaming.
“The Denim Day story begins in Italy in the 1990’s when a driving instructor was prosecuted for raping his 18-year-old student. He later successfully appealed the conviction, claiming that because the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped him remove them,” explains the press release. “Enraged by the verdict, the women of the Italian Parliament launched a protest wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court. Their display of solidarity was picked up by international media which inspired the globally recognized Denim Day we observe each year.”
The resource fair will offer free treats, spring beverages, and plenty of giveaways. There will be guidance and materials to help attendees spread awareness about ways to end sexual violence in their communities and support Baltimore City and Baltimore County’s designated rape crisis center, TurnAround, Inc.
TurnAround, Inc. has been educating, advocating, and empowering people impacted by intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking for 45 years.
In addition to Denim Day activities on April 24, TurnAround invites people to meet them for one day only on April 25 at the Baltimore Museum of Art Insight Lab to view a special installation of artwork gathered from past Purple Poetry Books. The Purple Poetry Book is the organization’s annual publication of poetry, short stories, and artwork created by and for survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking. Contributors are from Baltimore and from around the globe.
TurnAround, Inc was created in 1978 to help survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence in Baltimore County. In 1995, they expanded to Baltimore City, and in 2011, the agency launched the first comprehensive anti-human trafficking program in the state of Maryland. Their mission is to educate, empower, and advocate for everyone impacted by sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking.
Denim Day takes place on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 100 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD. Tickets are free, but attendees are asked to register by clicking this link.
The Purple Poetry Book Installation viewing takes place on Thursday, April 25, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Baltimore Museum of Art Insight Lab, located at 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD. Admission is free, and registration is not required.
