National Park College marks Women’s Day
The National Park College community observed International Women’s Day Wednesday with its first Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event.
The Walk Event Experience calls on men to walk 1 mile in women’s highheeled shoes as a playful opportunity for men to raise awareness about the serious causes, effects and remediations to men’s sexualized violence against women. Events around the world make up the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence.
The event is held on International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day is also used to rally calls for accelerating gender parity.
Stephanie Rizzo, student life generalist, approached Jason Hudnell, dean of student affairs and enrollment, with the idea to celebrate Women’s Day on campus.
“I said yes, but if we are going to do it, let’s go as big as we can with it,” Hudnell said. “So we started doing some research and we found the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event.
“That’s absolutely the visual we want to have to bring some awareness to our campus and to, hopefully, the community.”
NPC Student Life provided free food and space on the campus quad for booths by various organizations. Hudnell joined 14 other male students, faculty and staff members in walking 100 feet in women’s high-heeled shoes.
“It was not as difficult as what I had prepared for,” Hudnell said. “I have a newfound respect for women who choose to walk in those. That’s for sure.”
Hudnell said they attempted to find volunteers from as many different academic divisions, departments and student groups as possible. Chris Brumley and Brandon Glen represented the Ra-
diologic Technology program after they were asked to volunteer.
“I did not know what to expect,” Brumley said. “They told me the reason and it was a good cause for it. It hurt so bad. My calves were shaking.”
“I need a massage,” Glen said.
Minnie Lenox, human resources director for the city of Hot Springs, was invited to speak during the event. Lenox said she was proud to take part in something that is celebrated around the world.
“They give us March 8,” Lenox said. “OK, we’ll take March 8. I want us to take the whole year, because women are women every day 365 days a year. With that, women, I encourage you. I want you to move forward, I want you to forge ahead and I want you to affect change and make a difference.”
International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900s. Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is used as preventive education to allow men to better understand and appreciate women’s experiences and to inform the community services are available for recovery.
“Women, don’t stop,” Lenox said. “Keep moving forward. Keep striving to do and to accomplish. You’ve got to have a passion and that passion that you have is going to be that drive that gets you to move forward. Yes, you may stand side by side with a man, but are you always looking and recognized to be equal when it comes to pay, when it comes to recognition, when it comes to comes to those things of responsibility?
“We can be and do what it takes to be. We can make this place a better place. When we reach across cultural lines, ethnicities and things of that nature and join hands together, we can make a difference.”
Lenox noted how previous female leaders did not stop, did not give up and did not realize they were making history with their actions.
“Some of you standing here today are making history,” Lenox said. “Where you are, what you are doing. So don’t stop. Don’t ever give up and keep moving forward.”
“I don’t care what adversity you face, I don’t care if it’s on your job, I don’t care if it’s in your school or whatever, you can be the greatest that you can be, but you’ve got to keep going and you can’t give up,” she added.
Lenox encouraged women to work together, mentor younger females and help them achieve greater success.
“That’s the way we can affect the changes in this world,” Lenox said. “That’s the way we can get equality to come forward. That’s the way when we will see we will be getting equal pay and things of this nature when we work together.”