Sweltering 94 degree heat encased San José on June 11, but that didn’t stop dozens of middle-age and bearded men from confidently strutting around Santana Row in heels.
They were participating in the annual “Walk A Mile in Their Shoes” event, which was organized by the YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley. More than 450 people came to show support for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Men, and some women, wore bright colors and marched around Santana Row in high heels, carrying signs that ranged from “Abuse Has No Excuse” in bold, floral calligraphy to “I Stand With Survivors” in a child’s handwriting.
“We are big about participating in our community. If it means walking in high heels … that is something we’re going to do.”
— Omid Zahedian, Meriwest Credit Union representative
Members of many local organizations participated, including Omid Zahedian, who walked in red heels on behalf of San José-based Meriwest Credit Union.
“We are big about participating in our community,” Zahedian said. “If it means walking in high heels … that is something we’re going to do.”
For the last 20 years, YWCA has hosted the walk at Santana Row. Around 100 people fewer attended than last year, partly due to the warm weather and conflicting events like the FIFA World Cup, according to Trish Carter, director of communications for YWCA Golden Gate.
Most of the shoes worn were borrowed from the YWCA, including two-inch heels and classic redheeled boots, according to Carter.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three women and one in eight men in the U.S experience sexual assault. Meanwhile, one in 12 teenagers face teen dating violence.
NBC Bay Area’s Marcus Washington emceed the program before the walk started. Washington recognized various organizations turning out for the event, and then led some group stretches.
“We have a lot of different local community businesses and organizations that come out and support and start teams. Often, they have survivors on their teams or in their families. It’s a great way for them to also have some healing and to provide some support,” said Adriana Caldera Boroffice, CEO of YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley.
Teen and young adult volunteers handed out water bottles, staffed information booths and hyped up the crowd.
Krystal Andrade, an upcoming freshman at University of California, Santa Cruz and a YWCA volunteer, handed out raffle tickets, snacks and waited for the walk to finish.
Andrade said she felt inspired to join YWCA after observing classmates in “toxic” or “odd” high school relationships. Her older sister had also volunteered with YWCA and recommended the organization.
“I often noticed that everyone was in a relationship and everything seemed so weird and toxic, and nothing seemed right,” Andrade said. “I saw my sister start working with the YWCA, and I thought what a perfect chance for me to learn more. I joined just to learn for myself, but then I realized that it’s something that I can teach to my friends and show people at my school too.”
Shivika Verma is a member of the class of 2027 at Irvington High School in Fremont.
Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Program for Bay Area high school students, an intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.