For the last 21 years, Denim Day has been used as a vehicle to raise awareness about sexual violence and to mobilize communities worldwide. This year was no exception. Despite the current global pandemic, people in all 50 states as well as Guam, Brazil, Switzerland, the U.K., and across the globe virtually participated in the campaign, never losing sight of the importance of working toward a violence-free world.

As we enter May, Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to reaffirm our commitment to our community’s safety and well-being. We are individually and collectively navigating daily life while mourning a global crisis, whether or not we have been directly impacted. Peace Over Violence believes that it is critical to hold space for ourselves and each other. Support and community are central for building resilience and cultivating joy, two of the most important pillars for a healthy existence. 

All the mutual support, aid and care being practiced in communities while sheltering-at-home are tangible expressions of solidarity. We call upon all of you to continue showing up for those experiencing sexual and domestic violence during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. With you, we will continue to not only imagine, but build a violence-free world.

For the first time in Denim Day history, we held a bicoastal Survivor Rally virtually! This online event, held in partnership with Denim Day NYC, brought individuals and families around the world together in solidarity with survivors and one another. It gave us the space to learn, feel, reenergize, reimagine, sing, dance and even...chant (or at least make an attempt!).

Thank you again for your continued support for survivors and this important global campaign. Let’s continue working in solidarity with survivors in this movement to end rape culture and create a violence-free world.