2008 Woodie Awards
Project Clothesline Educates, Raises Awareness
Shirts Bring Domestic Violence to the Forefront
Emily Rios
Issue date: 10/26/05 Section: News
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Every 12 seconds, a woman in the United States is beaten. Four million women in the United States are battered per year. An estimated 6,000 women a year will die as a result of domestic violence.
October is domestic violence awareness month. To help bring attention to this issue, Alpha Gamma Sigma honor society sponsored the San Gabriel Valley YWCA WINGS (Women In Need Growing Strong) "Project Clothesline" on Oct. 19 in front of the Ross L. Handy Campus Center.
The Clothesline Project, started in 1990 by the Cape Cod Women's Agenda in Hyannis, Mass., demonstrates that domestic violence has become an epidemic in our country.
Shirts hung from the WINGS clothesline communicate through pictures and messages the physical, mental and emotional pain that can be a result of domestic violence.
"The Clothesline Project is a chance for victims to tell their story in a safe, anonymous way in place of having to do it in public," said WINGS community specialist Amanda Turek.
The shirts used are created by support group participants to help them through the healing process. Messages on the shirts can be written in English, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese.
The colors of the shirts convey specific meanings and represents different acts of violence. Women who have been battered or assaulted decorate yellow, beige or tan shirts. Red, pink and orange are for women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. Female survivors of incest or women who were sexually abused as children create blue and green shirts.
Purple represents those who have been attacked because of their sexual orientation. Women who have been gang-raped create black shirts. Multicolored shirts are for those women who have experienced more than on type of violence.
White shirts are created in honor of those women who have lost their lives as a result of domestic violence.
"I got involved with this project because I am a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma," said Elysia Becerra, 18. "Working on this project is very eye-opening. I'm more aware. I don't have to ignore the fact that violence is happening in other people's lives."
October is domestic violence awareness month. To help bring attention to this issue, Alpha Gamma Sigma honor society sponsored the San Gabriel Valley YWCA WINGS (Women In Need Growing Strong) "Project Clothesline" on Oct. 19 in front of the Ross L. Handy Campus Center.
The Clothesline Project, started in 1990 by the Cape Cod Women's Agenda in Hyannis, Mass., demonstrates that domestic violence has become an epidemic in our country.
Shirts hung from the WINGS clothesline communicate through pictures and messages the physical, mental and emotional pain that can be a result of domestic violence.
"The Clothesline Project is a chance for victims to tell their story in a safe, anonymous way in place of having to do it in public," said WINGS community specialist Amanda Turek.
The shirts used are created by support group participants to help them through the healing process. Messages on the shirts can be written in English, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese.
The colors of the shirts convey specific meanings and represents different acts of violence. Women who have been battered or assaulted decorate yellow, beige or tan shirts. Red, pink and orange are for women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. Female survivors of incest or women who were sexually abused as children create blue and green shirts.
Purple represents those who have been attacked because of their sexual orientation. Women who have been gang-raped create black shirts. Multicolored shirts are for those women who have experienced more than on type of violence.
White shirts are created in honor of those women who have lost their lives as a result of domestic violence.
"I got involved with this project because I am a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma," said Elysia Becerra, 18. "Working on this project is very eye-opening. I'm more aware. I don't have to ignore the fact that violence is happening in other people's lives."