每日大赛

By Lauren McDonald lmcdonald@thebrunswicknews.com

The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event ended as a speedy shuffle across the finish line for many of the participants wearing large red high heels in support of the day鈥檚 mission.

每日大赛 hosted its third annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event Wednesday to bring awareness to sexual violence and in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October.

鈥淲alk a Mile in Her Shoes is a powerful way for us to bring awareness and to rally the community on the serious effects of domestic and sexual violence,鈥� said Michelle Johnston, president of CCGA. 鈥淲e honor those who have lost their lives and those who are survivors of domestic violence today.鈥�

The event included remarks from Dottie Bromley, executive director of the Glynn Community Crisis Center, which operates Glynn County鈥檚 domestic violence shelter, Amity House. The names of 142 people who died due to domestic violence in Georgia in 2022 were also read aloud, and 142 pinwheels were placed around the college campus marking the path for the event鈥檚 concluding march.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an international campaign that raises awareness of gender violence. Its trademark component is the walk men and women take together in solidarity to end this violence, and the men don red heels in a show of support.

Alec Eaton, emergency management coordinator for the Brunswick Fire Department, was among the men who put on heels and walked the mile around CCGA鈥檚 campus. He said he had to learn quickly how to balance, and by the end his feet were numb, but it was for an importance cause.

鈥淚t supports a lot of people 鈥� women and men who have gone through very hard situations,鈥� he said.

Others walking in the march included CCGA police, staff and students as well as local law enforcement, city officials and other community supporters.

Charmaine Thomas was among the volunteers manning tables with information about local resources. Thomas, client services manager at Amity House, said she鈥檚 glad to see the event incorporate a vigil this year for the lives lost due to domestic violence. The goal is to shed more light on this issue, she added.

鈥淲e know it鈥檚 happening, but it鈥檚 not getting out there because of the stigma and because people are embarrassed or shamed,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think if we have more support from the community, we鈥檒l have more people come forward and get the help that they need.鈥�

Photos by Terry Dickson. Republished with the permission of The Brunswick News. Originally published in .