eliminating racism
empowering women
ywca
Dear Administrator:
It is a pleasure to invite your school to participate in the upcoming
Denim Day NYC 2013 Oped
Writing Contest
in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April). Our offices, in
partnership with the Denim Day NYC Planning Committee, chaired by the Office of the
Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer (New York City Alliance Against Sexual
Assault, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Crime Victim’s Treatment Center, Start Strong Bronx, YWCA of
Brooklyn, Frank and Ruth E. Caruso Foundation, Teen Relationship Abuse Prevention Program
(RAPP) and Steps to End Family Violence) will be co-sponsoring this contest with the goal of
celebrating the voices of college students and engaging them to think critically about the issue of
sexual assault.
This year’s theme is Telling the Truth About Sexual Violence. This contest
will run city-wide and a winner from each of the five boroughs will be selected. Each
winner will be awarded a $500 prize.
Engaging youth voices in a dialogue on this issue is essential to long-term prevention. We hope
you will help spread the word to your student body about this exciting opportunity.
Background on Denim Day
Denim Day grew out of a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction
because the victim wore tight jeans. The judges reasoned the victim’s tight jeans meant that she
had to have helped her assailant remove them, implying consent. In an act of solidarity following
the ruling, the women in Italian Parliament wore jeans to work. Wearing jeans became an
international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes and myths.
Submission Rules and Deadline
The Denim Day 2013 Op-ed Contest is open to New York City college students. Students must
be currently enrolled, either full-time or part-time, in a 2 or 4-year college or university located
within the 5 boroughs.
Op-eds must be submitted online at denimdaynyc.org by April 8th at
5:00 PM EST.
The Denim Day Committee will determine the winners based on successful representation of the
theme, “Telling the Truth About Sexual Violence,” by discussing one of the topics indicated in
the contest requirements (see enclosed).
The winners will be recognized on Denim Day, April 24 at a press conference at noon on the
steps of City Hall. The winners will be honored and presented with their respective $500 awards
and each of their op-eds will be distributed at the press conference and via the Denim Day NYC
website.