The Clothesline Project airs dirty laundry for students
The Clothesline Project is a three-day event aimed to raise awareness for domestic violence, said Melissa Keller, an assistant at the Center for Women and Gender Studies. Keller is coordinating the project.
The project runs Oct. 25-28 in the TSC International Lounge, and is a visual representation of those who have been victims of domestic violence, Keller said.
“It’s an airing of dirty laundry and it expresses emotion,” Keller said.
Keller said The Clothesline Project began in 1990, when a group of women in Massachusetts decided they needed to do something about the issue of domestic violence, according to the Clothesline Project website. Preparation for the original Clothesline Project began in the summer, when a statistic from the Men’s Rape Prevention Project in Washington, D.C. The group reported, “58,000 soldiers died in the Vietnam war. During that same period of time, 51,000 women were killed mostly by men who supposedly loved them.”
Keller said the shirts are donated by survivors of domestic violence, as well as victims and their families and friends.
The goal of The Clothesline Project is to raise awareness, but at the event there is also information for those who are experiencing violence and the general public, and she said every year there is a lot of information taken.
“We hope that because of this, people not only know what to look for, but maybe give a woman the strength to step forward,” Keller said.
There are three sounds that are heard throughout the day at The Clothesline Project, a gong, a whistle and a bell, Keller said. Each sound has a different meaning and happens in different intervals.
When the gong is hit, it represents a woman who has reported being assaulted, and according to National Victims’ Center statistics, an assault is reported every 10 to 12 seconds.
When the whistle blows, it represents a sexual assault is being reported. According to 2002 Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network statistics, someone is sexually assaulted every two minutes.
Keller said when the bell sounds, it represents a woman that has been killed by her intimate partner. End Abuse statistics from 2001 report that three to four women are killed a day.
Keller said the Center for Women and Gender Studies uses these sounds as a way to have the facts hit home.
“Hearing the sounds makes it hit a little closer to home,” she said.
The center has received new shirts this year for the event, but they also have many boxes of shirts, blankets and other items in the back room from previous years.
On Wednesday, the Clothesline Project will also work with the Hope Festival. The Hope Festival also happens in October, and outside vendors come into the school and sell products. Twenty-five percent of the profits are donated to CAPSA as a way to also raise awareness for the issue of domestic violence.
“Awareness, education, and hope is what means success with this event,” Keller said.
– april.ashland@aggiemail.usu.edu