“Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” has been a long-running awareness tradition across the United States. Since 2001, the national organization Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® has inspired communities to take a stand against sexual and gender-based violence. The event has not been held in Augusta since 2023, when Augusta University’s Alpha Chi Omega sorority hosted it. The Sexual Assault Response Center (SARC) last organized the event in 2019 and now is bringing it back.

This April 2026, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, SARC will host the return of Walk a Mile, inviting the Augusta community to step up, speak out, and stand together for survivors.

The original concept of the walk asked men to show solidarity by walking a mile in women’s high heels, a symbolic act of empathy meant to “walk in her shoes.” Today, as SARC revives and refreshes this tradition, the organization recognizes that sexual violence impacts people of all genders. Women, men, transgender, and gender-nonconforming individuals have all survived and struggled with sexual assault, coercion, and harassment.

This year’s Walk a Mile invites everyone, all genders, ages, and backgrounds, to participate. Participants may dedicate their walk to a survivor in their life, whether publicly or anonymously (“for my sister,” “for my friend”), by writing a message on a teal ribbon and displaying it in the event’s dedication space.

As part of the event, SARC will feature the “Clothing Is Not Consent” Survivor Art Exhibit. Which will become a space to reflect, connect, and honor the voices of survivors through creativity and expression. Art has the power to create dialogue, challenge assumptions, and transform pain into purpose. Through visual storytelling, survivors can make powerful statements that bring awareness, inspire empathy, and spark change.

The the pieces featured in this exhibit come from artists within our own community; people who use creativity as a means of healing, advocacy, and connection. Supporting local artists not only sustains the creative heartbeat of Augusta but also gives voice to experiences that might otherwise go unheard. When we invest in local art, we invest in stories of strength. Each brushstroke adds to the collective message that healing and awareness begin right here at home.

Join SARC this April for a family-friendly community walk to raise awareness, support survivors, and take a collective stand against sexual violence.