The Clothesline Project

At UVU every year, they present this event in the ballroom called the "Clothesline Project". I receive weekly emails about the events and current updates about school, but usually don't attend many of the events. While in psychology this week, my teacher said, "Have you guys heard about the Clothesline Project? It has a lot to do with what we are currently learning in psychology, and we can go down and see it for class if you would like." Not many knew what it was. All she said, what that people wrote their feelings and stories of abuse on t-shirts. She also said it was really emotional and that we did not have to go if we did not want too. Well, I was all for going, because I did not want to sit through another power point and be bored to death. So we went...

Words could never explain the feeling you felt walking into the ballroom, seeing over 1,000 shirts of voices wanting to be heard and their real emotions portrayed. Let me tell you, I heard them!

Twice a year at UVU, t-shirts are created by survivors of violence and displayed side by side to remind people of the real meaning of violence statistics. In hopes to use the display as a motivation to end violence, each shirt displays their creator’s feelings and gives an uncensored opportunity for a violence survivor to voice their personal experience. 

They do not censor any of the t-shirts because our goal is to break the silence of violence. It was very intense and very heart-wrenching.

The color of each shirt represents a different form of violence suffered—from death: white/grey, survivors of incest: blue/green, rape: red, orange, pink, childhood sexual abuse: yellow, emotional or verbal abuse: brown/black. One of the most intense things was they had timed sounds that would play throughout the project as an auditory reminder of violence frequency in the U.S., according to statistics. There was a gong which indicated a woman reporting being assaulted; it would go off every 10 to 12 seconds. There was a whistle that indicated someone being sexually assaulted; this would go off every two minutes. And then the bell that would go off, indicated the 3 to 4 women who are killed by their intimate partner every day. It was chilling to hear these sounds as I was walking around the ballroom reading these uncensored t-shirts.

Anyone who wanted to share their experience, could write on a t-shirt, and those that didn't want to share it with the world, but maybe a journal, could do that too. Along with having lots and lots of pamphlets and information regarding help and knowledge, the Project event also had specialized abuse psychologists and counselor's ready in the ballroom for anyone who wanted to talk. It was amazing. After spending over an hour in the event, I really felt as if it was a sacred place for people to go and know they are not alone; along with being completely overwhelmed with emotions.  My heart was breaking for all of the people who had written on the shirts and what they were having to deal with; which made me realize how great my life truly was and that I do not have to deal with any kinds of the abuse so many people have to deal with.