The Clothesline Project hits home

It was a powerful scene in Village Square as NEIU students came across shirts designed by women survivors of violence. They hung side by side as a bell rang every time a woman is the target of violence, and a whistle sounded every time a woman is raped. The display is called The Clothesline Project, which bears witness to violence against women.

The display was held on Wednesday and Thursday, October 17 and 18 in Village Square. The Clothesline Project is a non-profit organization in the Chicagoland area. The shirts tell women's stories of pain, loss, and survival. Some of them are designed by family and friends of a woman who died as a result of violence.

"There are a lot of survivors," says Catherine Korda, a Program Specialist at the Adult and Women Student Programs. The display has been coming to Northeastern for the last 12 years. Korda explains that some of the t-shirts are made by NEIU students, who are welcome to add their own shirt to the display.

An information table also offered grim statistics: about every ten seconds a woman is battered and about every one minute a woman is raped. Forty percent of all women murdered die at the hands of their partners who supposedly loved them. The American Medical Association has declared domestic violence an epidemic and The March of Dimes names battery as the prime cause of birth defects.

The shirts are displayed year around and hang side by side to "Break the Silence." Some of the places where the exhibit is held include universities, libraries, churches, hospitals, rallies, and other organizations. The Clothesline Project "focuses on providing healing for survivors of violence, educating the public about violence, and providing solutions through individual action to prevent violence."

There are suggested color codes: White shirts-for women victims who have been murdered, Blue or Green shirts- for women survivors of childhood sexual assault or incest, Yellow or beige shirts-for women survivors of assault or domestic violence, Red or Pink shirts-for women survivors of rape or sexual assault, Purple Shirts-for women abused because of their sexual orientation, Black Shirts-for women attacked for political reasons or their political beliefs.

The original Clothesline Project began in Massachusetts by the Cape Cod Women's Agenda in 1990 after one of the members viewed the traveling exhibit of the Vietnam War Memorial. The women knew that during the same time period 58,000 men were killed in Vietnam and 56,000 women were murdered in the United States by their male partners. They wondered, "Where was the memorial for these women?" The group decided to establish its own tribute for women, and today there are about 250 Clothesline Project lines across the United States.

The organization is careful not to define women by the crime committed against them. For example, someone is a "woman survivor of battery" and not a "battered woman." October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

For further information, please visit www.clothesline.org.