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What
Is The Clothesline Project?
The
Clothesline Project was started by women in Cape Cod, Massachusetts to
bear witness to the survivors and victims of the war against women.
A clothesline is hung in a public location and women are invited
to hang-up shirts which have been decorated to name and honor the women
and children who are the casualties of, or wounded by, battering, rape,
sexual assault, prostitution, incest, child sexual assault and
lesbian-bashing. The
Clothesline Project serves as a tribute and shows the extent of the
problem of violence against women with a visual impact similar to the
AIDS quilt or the Vietnam Memorial wall.
Hanging a shirt can help with the healing process for people who
have lost a loved one or who are survivors of this violence. The
Clothesline Project is being duplicated by women's groups nationally and
in nine countries around the globe.
What
Goes On The Clothesline
People
are
asked to decorate shirts, blouses, t-shirts, etc., using the following
color code:
WHITE
for those who have died;
YELLOW
or BEIGE for those who have been battered;
RED,
PINK or ORANGE for those who have been raped or sexually assaulted;
BLUE
or LAVENDER for those attacked because they are lesbian.
Creating
A Shirt
You
need not be an artist to create a moving, personal tribute. Simply draw
or paint, embroider, or bead. Any
remembrance is appropriate. The color codes are not mandatory if a
different color has special significance to you. Survivors are
encouraged to make shirts that reflect your personal experience. If you
design a shirt for a survivor, please respect her confidentiality.
Do not use a full name. For women killed, you may want to submit
a shirt which belonged to her. Include her name, age, etc. Naming
perpetrators can be an important part of a healing process, but to
protect the project's sponsor from legal liability do not use full names of perpetrators.
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