Men Rally to End Violence Against Women

The campaign aims to incite men to help end men's violence against women. Participants wore matching navy-blue shirts and white ribbon pins as they stood in solidarity in the Pit.

Junior Will Harcombe, the campaign's coordinator, stepped up to the podium in the center of the half-circle to address the crowd. "We as men have a responsibility to stand up and voice our opinions and take a stand," he said.

Don Appairius, assistant dean of students, also stepped to the podium to express his support of the campaign. He thanked all the men who had gathered, and he explained what he sees as the biggest misunderstanding about violence against women.

"I think there's a comfort zone about putting it as stranger rape," Appairius said. "But most of the rapes that actually occur are when the person feels safe and they let their guard down."

The campaign has taken place on the UNC campus for the past three years, with the theme this year being "Allies at All Times," to emphasize the assumption that rape only occurs under certain circumstances.

Men standing by the Pit and listening to the campaign were encouraged to show their support by signing a pledge and wearing a free T-shirt and white ribbon.

Sophomore Alistair Cooper, a member of the campaign's planning committee, said the intent of the effort is to alleviate the social stigma that surrounds an issue in which men are often portrayed as perpetrators.

"The purpose of this campaign is to incite open dialogue about a problem that is perpetuated by passive silence," Cooper said. "We believe that the real perpetrators are a minority, but the majority is silent, and this is where the dichotomy lies."

Sophomore Marianne Burns, who viewed the rally, said it is important to let women know that there are men out there who support them.

"As a woman, it really means a lot to me that there are guys on this campus who are willing to stand up against this type of violence," Burns said.

The Wednesday campaign events continued at 6:30 p.m. with a speech given in the Union Cabaret by Dr. Michael Kaufman, founder of the International White Ribbon Campaign, who spoke on the role of men in the effort to stop violence against women.

A native of North Carolina, Kaufman advocated the need for more public awareness. "We live in a world with an epidemic of violence against women."

Kaufman stressed the ideas that many men feel a sense of entitlement and that the voice of men is still the dominant voice in society. He said men are not intending to maintain a patriarchal society when they commit acts of violence against women, but that is the effect.

And he admitted that men are often unaware of the inequalities that exist. "As a man, I don't know the privileges I have as a man until a woman confronts me with them," he said. "The women we care about don't have those same basic rights and privileges."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.