Guess, Peace Over Violence host Maya Jupiter, Aloe Blacc concert for Denim Day
Aloe Blacc and Maya Jupiter serenaded Santa Monica Wednesday evening as part of the Guess Foundation and nonprofit Peace Over Violence’s Denim Day.
The annual day encourages people to wear denim in solidarity to raise awareness and fight against sexual violence, which is Peace Over Violence’s mission. The non-profit provides therapy, hotlines and other aid to victims in addition to educational initiatives.
Blacc and Jupiter, who serve as Denim Day spokespeople, took over one end of the Third Street Promenade outdoor shopping mall in Santa Monica for a live performance that was open to the public. Guess also set up a temporary pop-up in front of its Third Street Promenade store to hand out T-shirts and tote bags in an effort to raise additional awareness for the day.
The spokescouple are a good fit for the cause as individuals who are actively involved in a number of community organizations. Blacc and Jupiter are also cofounders of the Artivist Entertainment group, which supports like-minded artists involved in efforts for social good.
Jupiter became involved in Peace Over Violence through a friend employed with the organization who encouraged her to participate in songwriting classes for a youth internship program.
“It’s just a no-brainer,” said Jupiter, who is now on the Peace Over Violence board, of why she decided to get involved. “It’s a cultural thing. This is a cultural behavior and we’re looking to change behavior. I really believe the answer to that is education as the best prevention and I think we have to start with young people.”
“For me, it’s about transforming the dialog around consent,” Blacc said. “We spend a lot of time blaming victims and not enough time to really find out from perpetrators if they received affirmative consent and if they didn’t, that’s where I think the issue lies. We have a unique megaphone to counteract some of the messages that come from our peers as artists.”
This year marks the fourth the couple has been involved in Denim Day and, while both said the statistics around the number of those impacted by sexual violence aren’t necessarily improving, they’ve seen growth in awareness.
“This is a matter of constant vigilance. You can’t stop spreading awareness and supporting survivors because the sooner you take your eye off the ball, then you allow a new cohort of youth to be miseducated or to never understand,” Blacc said.
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