Christian White (l-r) and Collin Stewart, members of Monmouth University men’s basketball team, put on women’s shoes before the start of “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.” The walk to raise awareness of sexual violence against women was held on the West Long Branch campus on May 1. Below: Students, staff and athletes walk in women’s shoes to educate the community and raise money for underfunded rape crisis and domestic violence shelters.
Hawks point guard Christian White and several of his teammates stopped running suicides and wind sprints briefly last week to walk the most important mile of their lives.
White, along with other teammates from the Monmouth University men’s basketball team, participated in “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes,” a May 2 national event designed to raise awareness of sexual violence against women.
“We heard about it, and we thought about how good an opportunity it would be as a team to show our support for the issue,” White said. “We do care, and we want to show we support others throughout the Monmouth community.”
About 12 teammates donned women’s shoes in various styles to participate in the annual on-campus walk to raise awareness of rape and other forms of sexual violence.
“The shoes feel all right. [Luckily] I’m not in high heals, I’m in flat sneakers,” he said. “Not the most comfortable, but it does put me in better shoes, metaphorically speaking.”
The program’s keynote speaker, Courtney McManus, who survived a rape in 2000, said she had difficulty coming forward with the rape allegation.
“I came forward out of pure guilt, but I stayed in the fight for myself,” she said. “Four trials and 12 years later, I’m still fighting.”
“There are things that we sometimes take for granted, like the simple act of breathing,” she added. “When I became a victim of rape, it was as if there was not enough oxygen and I couldn’t breathe.”
White said the walk, which raised funds for Hazlet-based nonprofit 180 Turning Lives Around, opened his eyes to the magnitude of the problem of sexual violence against women.
“It’s real important to just bring awareness so people become informed about the problem,” he said. “I didn’t realize how big a problem it is until this event.
“Now that I do know it, it gives me a better understanding.”
King Rice, head coach of the men’s basketball team, said he tries to teach his team the importance of these life lessons.
“I think it is very important not just for my tea, but I think it is a very important issue on college campuses,” he said. “I want our guys to learn about different things and support people who’ve had problems, and this is something we feel strongly about supporting.
“I don’t think any of our guys would do anything. But if they hear about it or see anything, I want them to be strong-enough men to step up and say, ‘This was wrong and I’m telling that it was wrong.’ ” McManus explained there is an element of fear women must deal with every day.
“I realize that this is a difficult and uncomfortable subject, and I commend you for being such a very bold group,” she said. “The truth is [that] men and women — we are just different.”
“There is a feeling of insecurity when we are walking alone that is unique to women,” she added. “We need to look out for each other and be as safe as we possibly can every day.” Since her assault, McManus said she has learned and grown from the experience.
“I am dedicating myself to this cause, to teach people about the dangers of sexual violence,” McManus said. “I’ve been asked many times — if I could, would I change it, would I go back and erase it all?”
“The answer to that question is ‘no.’ My life can be confusing, very stressful, and at times emotionally draining, but it is my life.
“I like who I am now, and I know who I am now.
“It took me years of looking at myself as a victim before I moved to the phase of looking at myself as a survivor,” she said.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence was founded in 2001.
The event has become a worldwide movement with tens of thousands of men raising millions of dollars for local rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and other sexualized violence education, prevention and remediation programs held across the U.S. and worldwide in countries including Ireland, Canada, Taiwan and Germany.