Should a slight breeze have slid past the doors of El Centro’s reception lobby, it would have glided past the doors and fluttered the T-Shirts hanging near the offices, releasing the tension of the usually still fabric…perhaps drowning the evil that has been sketched and painted upon their cloth surfaces.
On April 4th, however, there was no breeze blowing through the double doors of El Centro’s lobby. 32 decorated shirts all hung, solemn and strong, proclaiming the inner demons of the women who created them. Creating a profoundly dramatic and moving awakening in each and every person that laid eyes on them, bringing attention to a very serious social issue …violence against women and children.
Quotes like “In your rage find your strength…may your tears nourish your soul. At the age of seven he asked ‘Do you want to play a game?’ How could I have known that 21 years later that ‘Game’ would still HUNT me?” Words of anger, hate, and mistrust drip from these creations. Yet, the words of hope, peace, and kindness allow a glimpse into the healing of the heart…the healing of the soul.
In honor of Abuse Awareness Month, El Centro hosted the Clothesline Project by displaying 32 different T-shirts from April 2nd through the 7th. Each shirt is an expression of pain brought on by an act of violence, created by either the surviving women or a group of individuals mourning the loss of a loved one.
According to their pamphlets “The Clothesline Project is a non-profit organization calling attention to violence against women.” The project has three goals, one is to facilitate the healing process of survivors and their families, the second is to educate the public of the project and bring about awareness that abuse is real, and the third is to encourage violence prevention through out society. The T-shirts and sweat-shirts on display tell each victims story, most of the time journeying from the initial act of violence up to the present day.
The display shirts are organized in a color code. White shirts created by friends and family in remembrance of a woman who died from an act of violence. Yellow or Beige shirts represent survivors of battery, assault, or domestic violence Instances of domestic violence include verbal, emotional, psychological, or sexual abuse. Survivors of rape and sexual assault or harassment create red, pink, and orange shirts. The women who have survived incest or childhood sexual abuse made blue and green shirts. Purple or Lavender shirts represent attacks due to their sexual orientation, and Black shirts represent women who were attacked for political beliefs/reasons. Of the 32 T-shirts on display, 6 are white, 7 yellow, 13 red, 3 blue, 2 are purple, and none are black. For all the readers who may say “Violence of this degree doesn’t happen that often,” this display is a chance for the creators of the shirts to open your eyes.
If you are a victim of violence you are encouraged to visit Clothesline Project’s web site at www.clothesline.org. After all, as one very simple T-shirt explained, “Love should not hurt.”