Thank you

Thank you to everyone who participated in Denim Day 2021, making this campaign a huge success! With your participation and support, we were able to reach millions of individuals in all fifty states and countries all over the world. In our 22nd year, this campaign continues to spread messages of violence prevention, solidarity, togetherness and to educate on issues surrounding all forms of sexual violence. We couldn’t have done it without you!

This year, we added two new themes “We Believe Survivors” and “We Protect Each Other” - and a new look to fit the theme and the transitional moment in time we find ourselves in. Developed in partnership with el Creativo, the floral flourishing images brought to life a rebirth that we are experiencing collectively, and also of the resiliency of survivors. It is about new life, growth, and beauty and seamlessly integrated into our new themes and our campaign this year.

We are inspired by all of the testimonies, stories, photos and reports of Denim Days all over the world. Our movement continues to get stronger and gain momentum. Especially after this last year, this outpouring of support propels us and encourages us to continue to stand up for each other and survivors. We believe survivors. We protect each other. Together we are working toward a world without violence.

2021 Highlights

Press Conference at City Hall

Led by LA City Council President, Nury Martinez, Denim Day kicked off with a press conference at LA City Hall. Joined by Mayor Eric Garcetti, and City Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez, Mark Ridley-Thomas, and Nithya Raman, as well as Denim Day Founder and POV CEO Patti Giggans and Survivor Advocate Tiffany Duvernay-Smith, the speakers discussed the importance of Denim Day, supporting survivors and keeping each other safe, the challenges survivors face during the ongoing pandemic and the need for robust support as people return to school, work and the community. Podium design courtesy of el Creativo.

Virtual Survivor Rally with Denim Day NYC

For the second year in a row, we hosted a virtual survivor rally with Denim Day NYC! Hosted by Denim Day spokespeople Maya Jupiter and Aloe Blacc, the rally had participants from both coasts sharing testimony together, creating an online space and bringing together people from around the world in solidarity.

Participants included:

Jovan Martinez — Writer, Singer and Poet, Community Educator with the school-based Early Relationship Abuse Prevention Program with STEPS to End Family Violence; sharing “Beyond the Jeans” poem

Krishanti Dharmaraj — Executive Director of the Center for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers

Matthew Ennis — President and CEO of 1in6

Margarita Guzman — Executive Director Violence Intervention Program in New York City

Tina Rodriguez — CA Statewide Manager for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice and Board President for ValorUS

Juan Renteria — Artist, el Creativo; featuring slideshow of Denim Day 2021 floral images

Celena K — National Agenda for Black Girls Member & Youth Organizer with Girls for Gender Equity
Youth Panel

April Activities

April is a busy month! We provided self defense classes, professional and community trainings, and distributed resources online… all while continuing to provide our 24/7 emergency response, intervention, and prevention services. And, we held two special virtual events leading up to Denim Day: Reimagining Healing and Justice: A Bicoastal Denim Day Panel & Listening to Youth: Young People in the Fight to End Sexual Violence.

Levi’s Collaboration

We were thrilled to welcome Levi’s to our Denim Day supporters this year through a connection from Tarana Burke and me too. Movement. Tarana took over Levi’s Instagram account on Denim Day spreading messages of awareness and was co-featured in a blog Q&A with Denim Day Founder and POV CEO Patti Giggans.

Denim Day on Social Media

Social media played a big part in our outreach this year. Due to most of our activities remaining virtual, social was a great place for us to share and interact. We saw a big jump in followers, especially on Instagram, and increased interactivity across all of our platforms. We reached 10,000 followers on Instagram, allowing us the “swipe up” feature to directly link to articles or activities, increasing our accessibility. We also saw thousands of views on the press conference video and also thousands of shares of our posts. Notable social shoutouts included Levi’s, 7 For All Mankind, Me Too Movement, and Cyndi Lauper!

Fundraising

This year we added a peer-to-peer crowdfunding option to our fundraising efforts. Transforming our “Dollars for Denim” grassroots campaign into an online one allowed individuals to sign up for fundraising teams and virtually recruit their networks to support the campaign. Shout out to our top teams: Heavy Hitters Music, Bee Aware, Griffins Against Sexual Assault, and Iterable — and all of the teams and donors for Denim Day 2021! Financial contributions help underwrite the costs of producing and distributing educational materials. They also ensure that we can continue to provide access to services for sexual assault survivors, including our 24-hour hotline, free counseling and healing services, legal and support groups, and youth violence prevention and engagement.

Denim Day Swag

Denim Day materials have always played a large role in our campaign, from providing downloadable materials, a virtual action kit, a variety of buttons, t-shirts, etc., we love seeing supporters gear up. This year we added some new swag with the messaging of the campaign and it was a huge hit, some even selling out! These materials have been restocked will remain in our store year round. We believe survivors and protect each other every day of the year!

Denim Day 2021: A Success!