By Sophia Yodice
Students and organizers lined up decorated T-shirts between trees on the east side of McKeldin Mall on Thursday, each carrying messages of pain, survival and resilience for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The display, part of the Clothesline Project organized by the University of Maryland’s CARE to Stop Violence office, aimed to raise awareness about domestic violence and support survivors in the campus community. The annual project features shirts decorated by survivors and allies, hung on clotheslines as a stark reminder of the reality of abuse.
Some shirts had messages of anger and grief, while others offered words of hope and healing.
“No means no!” read many of the shirts, a blunt and urgent reminder of the project’s message. Aleia Gardner, assistant coordinator for prevention education at CARE, is committed to promoting these hopeful messages.
“We want people to know that they are not alone in their experiences,” Gardner said. “I feel hopeful every time I see someone engaged.”
Students were welcome to write their own messages on T-shirts. As others passed through the mall, many stopped to read the display, some stood silently in reflection, while others engaged in conversation with CARE volunteers. Organizers emphasized that the event aimed not only to raise awareness but also to foster a sense of community.
“It’s so important for folks to recognize that these events are uplifting as much as they’re sad. They’re also a way for us as a community to come together,” the director of Bias Incident Support Services, b.a. medina, said.
The Clothesline Project began nationally in 1990 and has spread to campuses across the country. At UMD, CARE hosts the event each fall during Domestic Violence Awareness Month to provide visibility for survivors and connect students with resources.
“I would love to think that for a lot of survivors, they feel like they’re not alone, that they feel like other people, even when it’s really hard, can be there alongside them in their journey of healing,” medina said.
As the shirts hung across the clothesline, the event stood as both a somber memorial and a symbol of resilience. For many who took in the messages, it was a reminder that while domestic violence is painful and pervasive, no one has to endure it alone.
“Much of what I observe every time I come is how much pain people hold, but also how much that pain has turned to pushing back,” medina said.
CARE is an anonymous resource open to the UMD community, providing confidential advocacy and therapy services to primary and secondary survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment, etc. Services are appointment-based, and their crisis line can be reached at 301-314-2222.
Featured Image: UMD student photographing an emotional message on one of the many hung shirts on McKeldin Mall. Photo by Miller Rogers-Tetrick