On April 29, over 200 attendees filled the Ramada Inn Convention Center for CrossRoads’ annual Denim Day dinner and fashion show. The event was primarily a fundraiser for CrossRoads Sexual Assault Response & Resource Center, with sponsors, raffles and on-site donations encouraged, but it also served to unite the Alamance area around sexual assault prevention.
CrossRoads serves sexual assault survivors in Alamance, Person and Caswell counties. It provides confidential counseling, child medical treatment, education and community awareness.
Executive Director Meredith Peffley said that while she expected a lot of tears from guests, she hoped the event would be a source of fun and fellowship.
“The way they unite is we all have the single cause of serving and believing survivors,” Peffley said. “And working to strengthen the organization that we all love.”
Denim Day is observed on the last Wednesday of April and began in the 1990s in Italy. The Italian Supreme Court overturned a 1992 rape conviction because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped the abuser remove them, thus implying consent.
According to CrossRoads, wearing denim on Denim Day is a symbol of protest against victim- blaming and raises awareness about sexual violence.
Daniel Sisk, captain in the Graham Police Department, said all law enforcement agencies in Alamance County have designed a protocol with CrossRoads where, if certain criteria are met, the officers refer victims to CrossRoads.
“Sexual assault victims usually have self-internalization that they may not be believed, or they may not be supported,” Sisk said.
In Burlington, the CrossRoads Denim Day event included a brief history of CrossRoads and its founding 50 years ago, the work it is doing now and where they hope to be in the future.
Two speakers, both mothers of daughters who experienced sexual assault, shared their experiences with CrossRoads.
“It kind of gives everyone that doesn't know what CrossRoads does an idea of how they impact people's lives,” Sisk said. “It is not just the good stuff. It's really, really sad stories that have a very positive outcome sometimes.”
After the speakers, community members wearing denim clothing and accessories strutted down a makeshift aisle for the fashion show. Alamance County sheriff Terry Johnson opened the show, and when a local Girl Scouts troop took the stage, the crowd went wild.
“We tried to do a past, present and future, and I think that went really well,” Peffley said. ”We talked about the past of the organization, we talked about where we are today, and with the Girl Scouts as models, we see the future. And the future is bright for this organization.”
Looking ahead, Peffley said CrossRoads aims to keep growing its Denim Day event and encourage donations to keep services free to victims.
“We're gonna get bigger,” Peffley said. “We're excited, because I think the more we do it, it becomes an annual event, and the bigger we get.”