Spectrum - Volume 19 Issue 24 March 20, 1997 - Clothesline Project on display at rally

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Clothesline Project on display at rally

Spectrum Volume 19 Issue 24 - March 20, 1997

The Clothesline Project, an effort to raise awareness of violence against women, is a visual testimony to the shattering effect of violence against women and the impact it has on society. Survivors of violence-and friends and families of victims-create shirts emblazoned with direct messages and strong illustrations. The shirts demonstrate the pain and suffering of the survivors, aid in their healing process, and celebrate their strength and courage to overcome the past.

On a clothesline, the shirts are hung side-by-side, as though the survivors were standing there themselves, shoulder-to-shoulder, bearing witness to the violence committed against women on a daily basis. The shirts are color-coded: white for women who have died of violence; yellow or beige for women who have been battered or assaulted; red. pink, or orange for those raped or sexually assaulted; blue or green for survivors or incest or child sexual abuse; and purple or lavender for women attacked because of their sexual orientation.

The Clothesline Project educates the public about the scope of violence against women and the impact it has on individuals, their families, and friends. The project encourages survivors to come forward to "break the silence."

Local sponsors-the Montgomery County Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Womanspace, Chi Delta Alpha, Women's Center at Virginia tech, the Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley, and Alpha Phi Omega-urge community members to view the display at the Take Back the Night Rally and March on March 27. The Clothesline will be displayed on Tuesday, March 25, and Wednesday, March 26, outside the Women's Center. On Thursday, March 27, it will be displayed on the lawn of Alumni Hall. (In case of rain, the Clothesline will be displayed in 105 Squires).