Nearly 900 students sign pledge to end violence against women in White Ribbon Campaign

More than 880 University of Richmond students have pledged to fight relationship violence as part of the White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) to end violence against women. Richmond College, the university’s undergraduate division for men, has locally sponsored and supported the international movement since 2006.

Richmond’s men’s basketball team launched the campaign by wearing WRC warm-up jerseys at their Nov. 11 game. Other events that week included a silent candlelight march around Westhampton Lake in remembrance of victims of relationship violence and “Walk the Commons in Her Shoes,” when men walked the length of the Tyler Haynes Commons in high heels.

“I stress with everyone that showing support for the WRC is a first step, and a simple step, toward ending violence against women,” said Joe Boehman, dean of Richmond College. “My hope is that our students and everyone in the university community take the next step to internalize it, to walk the talk each day to end violence against women.”

In addition to the WRC, the university sponsored the “It Ends Now” initiative, which focused on ending relationship and sexual violence in all forms, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or gender expression. Some 1,100 students wore “It Ends Now” t-shirts Sept. 16, culminating in the university’s first flash mob to create further awareness of the project.