By Jose Gonzalez
Editor’s Note: This story contains mentions of sexual assault.
University of Maryland students gathered at Hornbake Plaza on Wednesday to decorate and display T-shirts with messages against sexual violence.
The displays are part of The Clothesline Project, an event the CARE to Stop Violence Program organizes every semester. The project aims to be a visual representation of the impact of sexual and relationship violence.
“Each T-shirt either has a story from a survivor [or] from a supporter giving a message of empowerment, support and love to a survivor,” said program director Grace Boudreau.
The Clothesline Project is the first of a series of events CARE organized , which partners with the Sexual Assault Awareness Committee, for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. There are six events planned for October with one event held in April, coinciding with Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
The event also featured tables with resources from CARE along with tables for Step Up!, a bystander intervention program with a chapter at UMD and the university’s Health Promotion and Wellness Services.
The project originated in Hyannis, Massachusetts, in 1990, when a member of Cape Cod’s Women’s Defense Agenda learned men during the Vietnam War killed 51,000 women. Visual artist Rachel Carey-Harper created a multi-shirt display on a clothesline to raise awareness of the issue.
Shirts hung from the clothesline carried multiple messages, including survivors’ personal experiences and messages such as “I believe” and “You’re not alone.”
“It gives survivors a chance to share their stories and to display those stories to the campus community,” Boudreau said. “It gives them an avenue to express themselves, to express the different feelings that they may have, and that’s just really important because it’s important for us to hear survivors’ stories so that we can work to prevent violence from happening on our campuses.”
Many students, such as Janea Apelin, a first-year student pursuing a certificate in agricultural leadership and communication, said other people’s experiences intrigued her.
“It’s like something that definitely caught my eye, especially with, like, the writing on the shirts,” Apelin said. “It’s like different and unique for every single shirt.”
Chloe Van Campenhout, a freshman animal sciences major, agreed.
“I liked when people talked about their own personal stories. A lot of them are anonymous, but they kind of like tell a story of their experience with sexual assault, and I feel like that is like the most powerful thing you can do,” Van Campenhout said.
Boudreau said hosting events for Domestic Violence Awareness Month is important in their goals for sexual violence prevention.
“We do our events during October and April, but we’re here all year long helping survivors, putting on events, hosting educational workshops,” Boudreau said. “It’s just something that’s very important to us and always in the forefront of our work.” The next CARE event for Domestic Violence Awareness Month will be Oct. 20.
Featured Image: The Clothesline Project on Oct. 7. Photo by Stella Henretta.