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What is the clothesline project? It is a method for victims and survivors of
sexual assault to voice their assault in a unique way. Each shirt placed
upon the clothesline is created by the survivor and can include words,
artwork, and personal design. The Clothesline Project serves a few purposes.
It can be an educational tool for people who visit one of the many
Clothesline Projects throughout the country. It also can be a healing tool
for anyone making a shirt to place on display. Much like the Old Survivor by
the Sea poem, where the survivor placed her hate and grief upon the hook and
sinker, the Clothesline Project allows the survivor to cast their hate and
grief upon the shirt, then hang it upon the clothesline and walk away. The
Clothesline Project also serves the purpose of allowing those suffering in
silence to realize they are not alone.
The first Clothesline Project was in October 1990 in Hyannis Massachusetts.
On a village green, 31 shirts were displayed on that first clothesline which
was part of a “Take Back the Night” rally. The idea kept growing and a
national response brought the Clothesline Project from a single, grassroots
event into a national campaign. Today, there are an estimated 500
Clothesline Projects with over 50,000 shirts on display around the world.
Lewis County Opportunities has a mobile Clothesline Project that will be on
display at various locations across the county. Please come out and see for
yourself our Clothesline Project created by the hands of victims and
survivors of sexual assault. Our Clothesline Project is made by local
victims and survivors of sexual assault. Because of the nature of this
healing tool, some of the shirts can be graphic in wording, but to censor
the voices of survivors is to turn our backs upon them. We will not
compromise the integrity of their voice. |
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