Collegiate Times

On Monday, Oct. 11, The Clothesline Project will present its bi-annual display on the Drillfield from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Rain location: Squires Student Center).

The Clothesline Project acts as a visual testimony to raise awareness about violence against women.

This effort displays the devastating effects violence has on survivors and on the friends and families of victims. Having viewed the display last spring, I urge Tech students and the Blacksburg community to take some time to visit the project.

Because of its open visibility on the Drillfield, viewers can spend as much time looking through the shirts as they’d like while sorting through which shirts they wish to examine. Many of the shirts impressed me, and all of the shirts leave a significant impression on their viewers’ hearts.

The survivors and friends and families of victims have incredible stories to share, and their experiences deserve to be recognized by the Virginia Tech and Blacksburg communities.

Initiated in 1994 by the Montgomery County chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), this Clothesline Project includes more than 500 shirts made by New River Valley residents. Those affected by acts of violence against women express their pain, suffering, strength, and courage through direct messages and strong illustrations on color-coded t-shirts.

Each color represents a different form of violence: white for women who have died from violence; yellow or beige for women who have been battered or assaulted; red, pink or orange for those raped or sexually assaulted; blue or green for survivors of incest or child sexual abuse; purple or lavender for women attacked because of their sexual orientation; and black for women handicapped by violence.

The shirts are hung along a clothesline as if the survivors were standing there themselves, shoulder to shoulder, bearing witness to the violence committed against women on a daily basis.

The Clothesline Project allows its viewers the opportunity to experience the suffering some of the shirts express while feeling the strength others communicate and the spectrum of emotions beyond those.

Some of the shirts disclosed violence that shocked and even overwhelmed me. Even if you think the shirts might affect you too strongly, you should visit the project to view at least a few shirts.

Although I was moved to tears by many of the personal stories, I don’t regret viewing the project. Instead, I know I grew from the project.

It shows the violence that afflicts your peers, students, and community members. No one asks for that sort of violence, and I think it’s disrespectful to pass by the project without acknowledging even one shirt — as I saw many students do last spring.

If you haven’t experienced that type of violence, you can’t even begin to imagine the struggle the people behind those shirts went through. I think it’s pertinent for the Tech and Blacksburg communities to listen to the stories these shirts share.

The Clothesline Project not only raises awareness within the Blacksburg community about the extent of violence against women but also educates its viewers about the magnitude of the violence’s impact.

In addition, the project aids in the healing process of those who have suffered directly or indirectly from violence against women by breaking their silence.

Survivors and the friends and families of victims can create their own shirts in the quiet, confidential environment of the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech — on Washington Street in Blacksburg — anytime from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday, Oct. 11 to Friday, Oct. 15.

All materials are supplied at the Women’s Center free of charge.

If you or someone you know is thinking about sharing an experience, I suggest going to the center and creating a shirt. The creation process in itself signifies a major step in healing.

Opening up and letting the experience out can give a sense of relief, and the process itself is empowering.

By the end of the clothesline last spring, I felt connected to the human beings behind the t-shirts and empowered to raise awareness within my own community. Visiting the Clothesline Project display is a uniquely powerful experience and an event no one can afford to miss.

A version of this article appeared in the Oct 7 issue of the Collegiate Times.