Downtown Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade will be the venue for the official Denim Day 2017 concert produced by Peace Over Violence in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. Neo-soul “artivist” Aloe Blacc, known for his single “I Need a Dollar” and for writing and performing vocals on Avicii’s “Wake Me Up,” will be performing a free set with emcee Maya Jupiter on the 1200 block of the Promenade on Denim Day, April 26, 2017, at 6pm. Blacc is an official Denim Day spokesperson.       

For the past 18 years, Peace Over Violence has run its Denim Day campaign on a Wednesday in April. The campaign was originally triggered by a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim.

Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault. In this rape prevention education campaign community members, elected officials, businesses and students are asked to make a social statement with their fashion by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault.

To learn how you can support by ordering buttons for employees or printing and displaying posters, visit www.denimdayinfo.org/get-involved/ and remember to wear your denim April 26 and use the hashtag #NoExcuse.