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News | July 2, 2020

Troop Support workforce encouraged to wear teal on Tuesdays in July

By Nancy Benecki Public Affairs

The month of April is usually when Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention month is observed nationally.

This year, however, was quite different.

When COVID-19 hit, resulting at stay-at-home orders and maximum telework for the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, the workforce was not available to participate in annual events like an installation-wide walk or a group photo of participants wearing teal t-shirts and denim.

The DLA Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program is launching a three-month awareness and prevention campaign featuring events that would have been held during SAAPM, with a theme and hashtag of “Not Just April.” The events, which employees can participate in whether they are in the office or teleworking, start this month with Teal Tuesdays.

“The intent of hashtag Not Just April is to stress the importance of sexual assault awareness, education, and prevention being a year-round responsibility,” said Gina Ingrao, DLA Troop Support’s new Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, who came on board in April. “By participating in Teal Tuesdays this July, employees are supporting sexual assault survivors and helping to bring awareness about sexual violence.”

Ingrao is asking the workforce to participate in Teal Tuesdays by wearing teal clothes, showing off teal accessories or wearing a teal ribbon and share the photos. Employees can also submit photos of their children’s teal sidewalk chalk drawings, she said.

Send photos of yourself or your family observing Teal Tuesdays to sapr@dla.mil, and remember to identify yourself as a Troop Support employee since this is a DLA-wide campaign, Ingrao said.

The color teal became the nationally-recognized color for sexual violence awareness and prevention in 2001, when the National Sexual Violence Center and the Resource Sharing Project polled sexual violence coalitions on the preferred color and symbol for sexual violence awareness activities, Ingrao said.

In addition, the DLA Troop Support Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office and the Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Office will conduct virtual EEO-D, prevention of sexual harassment, reasonable accommodation, diversity and inclusion and sexual assault training for employees on weekdays from July 20-30.

The next Not Just April event will take place in September. The “Going the Distance to Support SAPR” virtual fitness challenge will ask employees to log their physical activity throughout the month for an enterprise-wide virtual competition. Prizes will be awarded.

In November, the workforce will be encouraged to wear denim on Fridays to support survivors of sexual assault and raise awareness of sexual violence.

“Even as DLA employees begin returning to the office, the Not Just April events ensure minimized contact and the ability to participate no matter where they are located,” Ingrao said.

Sexual assault can be reported 24 hours a day, seven days a week. See the DLA SAPR homepage for more resources to seek help and support.