Spartans Walk The Walk
Several San Jose State University team participated in the YWCA's Walk A Mile In Her Shoes on Wednesday afternoon.
San Jose, Calif. Hints of blue and gold stood out in the Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose on Wednesday, April 9. Jerseys and warm-ups mixed in well with black t-shirts as speakers addressed the crowd from a stage on the north side of the park. It looked like any other city event until you looked down and realized the most of the men in the crowd, including San Jose State athletes and coaches, were wearing women’s shoes. Wednesday marked the sixth annual Walk A Mile In Her Shoes event hosted by the YWCA of Silicon Valley.
Members from the football team, swimming and diving team, men’s and women’s cross country teams, volleyball team, women’s soccer team, tennis team and men’s basketball team were all involved in the event. The swimming and diving team was scattered throughout the trail holding signs with sexual assault statistics while the football team, men’s cross country team and basketball team all sported women’s shoes and carried signs showing their support.
Among those mingling with the Spartan athletes were community leaders and local businesses owners. The walk was established to call awareness to the problem of sexual assault in our community. The proceeds for the Walk A Mile event benefit the YWCA’s Rape Crisis Center. This is the third consecutive year that the Spartans have been among those raising awareness for this important cause.
Frank Baird, a volunteer for the Valley Trauma Center in 2001, proposed the idea for Walk A Mile as a way to get men involved in the rape crisis movement. The event began in Los Angeles and has since spread throughout the country. There are 81 walks scheduled for 2008 so far, with more being planned. In 2007, the walk in San Jose raised $23,000 in support of the services and programs associated with the Rape Crisis Center.