Denim Day is recognized on the last Wednesday of each April to acknowledge sexual assault survivors. 

The day originated roughly 27 years ago in Italy with a court case involving an 18 year old girl and her driving instructor. During the driving session, the young girl was forcefully raped by her teacher who was then arrested; however, a few years later, the man appealed the case. In court, it was stated that the women’s jeans were so tight that it would have required two people to take them off. This alluded to the idea that the woman had to help herself out of the jeans, proving, in his case, that they had consensual sex. 

The situation traveled to the Italian High Court and the man was later released. Women in the Italian Parliament were outraged by the verdict and wore jeans in protest. Eventually, this news reached Los Angeles where local reporters reported on the case. From there on, people around the world began to wear jeans in remembrance of those affected by sexual assault. 

This was the inaugural year of Denim Day at NDB. An email was sent out to students explaining the history behind the day and encouraging students to wear jeans. On April 30, students were allowed to wear jeans with uniform tops and join this nationally recognized day. 

Junior Isabella Michael wore her jeans to Serra HS for her Tri-School classes and found that she was able to teach other students there about the significance behind the day. 

“This definitely helped raise awareness,” said Michael.

Next year, students can expect a similar setup to observe Denim Day.