The Clothesline Project will provide University of Idaho students and staff with a visible reminder of the impact that sexual assault has had on the Vandal community, starting at 6 p.m. April 14 in the Idaho Commons.
According to the Clothesline Project’s website, the program began in 1990 to address the issue of violence against women, and provides a platform for those women affected by violence to express their emotions through decorating T-shirts. The project has travels campuses and communities across the U.S.
UI Women’s Center Assistant Director for Programs Bekah MillerMacPhee said T-shirts will hang on a clothesline for a week in the Commons food court for others to view as testimony to the problem of violence against women.
“We are trying to air laundry, (because) there’s this saying about hiding your dirty laundry and this type violence is really hard for people to talk about — it’s very personal,” MillerMacPhee said. “The idea is to get this out in the open and that we don’t need to hide it.”
MillerMacPhee said the decorated bandanas from the Bandana Project will also be on display, as well as past T-shirts from previous projects.
She said the event brings awareness to sexual assault and puts a direct focus on its occurrence in the UI community.
“We want to remind people that they are not alone and that there are others who are struggling and surviving and thriving and healing through this and that there is help available if they need it,” MillerMacPhee said.
MillerMacPhee said the project is effective, because spectators can choose their own level of involvement.
“It’s a high traffic area, so if you’re just walking through, you can decide how long you want to stay. For some folks, if they haven’t put a lot of thought into the issue, it might take them a few minutes to realize what it is, but even that is impactful,” MillerMacPhee said. “For others who may be healing from trauma, just taking a look and walking away could be what they need to do.”
UI Violence Prevention Programs Coordinator Emilie McLarnan said she believes when people read the words of the survivors, it adds a personal element for someone who hasn’t experienced sexual assault in their own life.
“Some folks say they don’t know anyone affected by sexual violence, except I think that most of us do, but we may just not know that element of that person,” McLarnan said.
She said she hopes the Clothesline Project helps bystanders realize the extent of the issue, as well as the impact it can leave on those directly and indirectly affected.
McLarnan said she hopes anyone interacting with the project feels like they are able to express themselves safely and to show their connection to the project in a public, yet anonymous manner.
“I think that anytime we can give our students an opportunity to express themselves, it’s important … and it’s empowering,” MillerMacPhee said.
Olivia Heersink can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @heersinkolivia