Latest news with #ClotheslineProject
Los Angeles Times
18-04-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
The Clothesline Project in Orange County gives survivors a way to make their voices heard
When the Clothesline Project in Orange County began nearly 24 years ago, there were only eight T-shirts on the line. Representing the unheard voices of those affected by violence and sexual assault, the clothesline with the colorful cotton shirts was created by nonprofit Waymakers in 2001 to raise awareness during April's Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 'Today we have about 1,300 T-shirts and to us, they are each the voice of a survivor's and we honor them wholeheartedly,' said Vanessa Reyna, program director for Waymakers' Victim Assistance Programs. A survivor has created a message sharing their personal experience with sexual assault on each of the shirts, some writing out their story, some sharing mantras of empowerment and strength, others using art to convey their feelings. The different colors represent the type of assault, with red, pink and orange signifying rape; green and blue representing child sexual abuse; gray, human trafficking; purple, rape due to sexual orientation; black, sexual harassment; white, homicide and yellow, domestic violence. Each April, the installation visits Orange County college campuses where students can view the display and write on a T-shirt of their own. 'The display has a two-fold purpose,' Reyna said. 'One, of course, is education. This is more impactful than statistics because it helps represent and illustrate an individual here in our local community. The additional purpose is it really empowers the survivor to share, in a safe way, the biggest message they want to convey about their experience at their level of comfort.' Waymakers has served Orange County for nearly 50 years, providing sexual assault and rape crisis services to local survivors, including a 24-hour crisis hotline. The organization also offers one-on-one peer counseling, support groups, extensive education programs and a primary prevention focus that works with men's groups. Reyna said Waymakers serves between 2,500 and 3,000 survivors of sexual assault each year in Orange County alone and nearly 60,000 victims of crime. The growth in the number of T-shirts over the years isn't necessarily an indicator of increased assaults, but rather a measure of the way survivors have found their voices and the work Waymakers does to help achieve that. 'We are very mindful of using the term survivors and many times we use survivor and victim interchangeably and we recognize that someone maybe labeled as a victim because they experienced something they never should have experienced,' said Reyna. 'But we do also want to reframe and remind them they have survived, they have survived something unthinkable.' The installation lined the main walkway to the Titan Student Union at Cal State University Fullerton's campus on Wednesday. A monarch butterfly landed on one of the blue T-shirts that represents child abuse, a touching moment a student captured with a cellphone photo. 'We have brought the Clothesline Project to Cal State Fullerton the last number of years,' said Brett S. Goldberg, Ph.D., assistant director of advocacy services and community engagement with Titan Thrive, part of the Titan Health Umbrella. 'This is the third year since I have been here, and we put it right on Titan Walk, which is one of the central thoroughfares of campus.' Goldberg said the installation is an opportunity for students to read stories and raise awareness about how common violence is. The project also aligns deeply with Titan Thrive. 'We support students, faculty and staff here on campus who have experienced sexual or domestic violence and that can also include dating violence, stalking, sexual- and gender-based harassment,' said Goldberg. 'We do events throughout the year about healing and solidarity, as well as individualized services based on the need. This is an important event where we can partner with Waymakers, who we work throughout the year in a different capacities, at such a public scale which we don't often get for our line of work.' Next, the installation heads to Irvine Valley College on April 29, followed by Cypress College on May 7. Waymakers' 24-hour confidentially hotline is available at (714) 957-2737. Reyna says they always welcome volunteers. 'Volunteerism is down nationwide but for our crisis centers, especially because we are 24/7, we have been feeling it, ' said Reyna. 'Many of volunteers are survivors themselves.' For those interested in getting more involved with Waymakers' programs, a training session is scheduled for July. For for more information, email prevention@
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local event aims to bring awareness of victims of abuse
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – The Clothesline Project is meant to bring awareness to victims of abuse and violence, and next Friday, an event in Youngstown is planned for the organization. A visual display of shirts will highlight violence statistics. Each shirt is created by a survivor or someone who has lost a loved one to violence. The project aims to raise awareness, as well as honor the strength of survivors. Those who attend won't need to bring anything. Shirts, markers and paints will be provided. Jacqueline Hughley, Compass Family Services' victim services manager, talked about how the event helps in the healing process. 'It is important because so many people who have been victimized do not speak up about it, so this is a way for them to express themselves on a t-shirt, express their thoughts, talk about being a survivor, you know, and know that they're not alone. There are so many others going through the same thing,' said Hughley. The event is sponsored by Compass Family Services. It is from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, April 25, at Swanston Commons at 246 Broadway Ave., across from Wick Park. It's free to attend. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
People of Harlem react to possible Highway 221 widening project
HARLEM, Ga (WJBF)- A new road widening project could be coming to Columbia County soon. Commissioners voted Tuesday to send a letter of support to the GDOT about the possible work to Highway 221 and committed to contributing $2 million. Now the people of Harlem are reacting to the potential project. They know that, like it or not, growth is inevitable. Because of that many said they support the Department of Transportation doing work on Highway 221, especially if it makes one notorious intersection safer. 'We have one of the most dangerous intersections in the county at North Fairview and 221. The last report I received is we're seeing about two accidents a week,' explained Mayor Roxanne Whitaker. Hometown History: The Boyhood Homes of a President and Supreme Court Justice Many of the accidents where North Fairview and Old Union Road intersect with Highway 221 have caused serious injury or have been fatal. Mayor Whitaker said the intersection has been a problem for decades. 'Most of the solutions that DOT have attempted are laughable at best. And that is not being addressed to meet the safety issues that our residents face every day.' Right now there are no definitive plans from the GDOT regarding what they want to do and Mayor Whitaker said she would need to see plans before she decides whether or not to support the work. One business owner says widening 221 through downtown Harlem is not feasible. 'Parts of our downtown wouldn't be possible to enlarge or widen. Physically there are buildings in the way. And so, some sort of a detour, bypass around the town road may be needed,' said Renee Meyer Dean, owner of Red Oak Manor. AU starts off Sexual Assault Awareness month observation with 'Clothesline Project' Another dangerous location that many are concerned about is the area through Harlem Middle School and Harlem High School. There is some concern about safety if the road becomes four lanes through there, many thinking a different solution would be safer. 'I think a lot of the high school traffic could be alleviated with some sort of a plan. Again, with that Clary Cut, Fairview, Old Union, something…where most- maybe most of the traffic does exit the side of the school into a roundabout,' Dean offered. NewsChannel 6 also talked to commissioner Alison Couch who told us that right now the project is in the very early stages of planning. She added that the commission would need to see a drafted plan in order to fully support any road construction to the area. Commissioner Couch also said the DOT needs to talk to the city, the county and the school board about the project and address the biggest concerns. She added that when the time comes there will be public meetings about the 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
AU starts off Sexual Assault Awareness month observation with 'Clothesline Project'
AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- April is 'Sexual Assault Awareness Month' and Augusta University is observing it starting with the annual 'Clothesline Project.' In April Augusta University displays t-shirts with messages and drawings designed by survivors of sexual assault or allies of sexual violence prevention. 'The goal of the T Shirt project is to bring that awareness, hopefully encourage action, provide support, provide resources, let survivors and victims know they're not alone in this,' explained Julie Kneuker, AU's Title IX Coordinator. Kneuker added that the event makes a big impact on everyone involved and its message is important. Fire officials warn of consequences for ignoring South Carolina burn ban 'When we have opportunities to make t-shirts at different events, we'll have students or faculty or staff come up and say 'Wow, this has really meant something to me. Every year that this comes up, it's a reminder. But it also reminds me that I'm not alone,'' she said. AU partners with one of those resources, the Sexual Assault Response Center (SARC) to highlight the services available to someone who has experienced sexual violence. 'Sexual violence happens in one in six individuals. It is it is very prevalent. And we know that's a nationwide problem. So when you look along the shirts, you'll see various messages. Some are very personal, some are pretty, you know, blanket,' said Janye Wallace, Outreach Coordinator at SARC. Dozens of volunteers showed up to put the display of t-shirts together. They vary in message and even in size, with the smaller shirts representing that age of the survivor when they were assaulted. Volunteers were from AU and soldiers at Fort Eisenhower's Better Opportunities for Single Service Members (BOSS). 'We provide community service events such as the one that we are here at today to raise awareness to our single service member categories about sexual assault and harassment prevention and awareness,' Corporal Kandice Harmon, President of BOSS explained. Seniors rise to huge challenge at one ACPSD high school Cpl. Harmon is an AU Alumnae and a sexual assault survivor. She told NewsChannel 6 that the 'Clothesline Project,' had a major impact on her as a student. 'I had the chance to come out of the Fine Arts Center from rehearsals and practices and walk down the roads and see these t-shirts. I also had the opportunity to make one of the t-shirts and something that I put on my t-shirt was Survivor. I do not like the word victim for myself because I am not a victim. I am a survivor.' She added that it means a lot to her to participate in the project now. 'To be able to step foot back into my college footprint here at Augusta University as an alumni and as a service member and as a sexual assault survivor in the military, it means a lot to come out here and to bring awareness and to bring attention to something that is so important,' Cpl. Harmon said. AU will host events to observe Sexual Assault Awareness month throughout April. You can find out what those events are and when they are at Augusta University's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘It's horrifically beautiful,' The Clothesline Project, a visual testimony of violence on a community
BLACKSBURG, Va. (WFXR) – The Women's Center at Virginia Tech and United Feminist Movement are honoring the end of Women's History Month and the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month with the Clothesline Project. The project is a visual testimony to the effects of gender-based and sexual violence on the community. Hundreds of shirts were hanging in Squires Hall on Tech's campus on Wednesday, March 27th, all representing someone's story of violence. (Photo Credit: Zoe Mowery/WFXR News) Southwest & Central Virginia Honor Flight prepares for 10th annual trip to Washington D.C. The shirts were on display side by side to show the victims standing together. Shirts are color-coded, with each color representing different traumas: White: for victims who have died of violence. Yellow or beige: survivors who have been battered or assaulted. Red, pink, or orange: For those who have been sexually assaulted. Blue or green: for survivors of incest or child sexual abuse. Purple or lavender: for those attacked because of their sexual orientation. Black: for those disabled because of violence. 'I think it is horrifically beautiful. Every shirt is a work of art. Every shirt tells the story of a survivor or a victim of gender based or sexual violence, and it's an awareness that people need to have about what happens in our community,' said Susan Anderson, the facilitator for the Clothesline Project on Virginia Tech's campus. (Photo Credit: Zoe Mowery/WFXR News) The display has been put up annually at Virginia Tech since the 1990s. The stories shown on the shirts represent the entire New River Valley, women, men, students, faculty, and community members. YMCA of Pulaski County announces funds to expand memberships, services 'It really raises awareness that violence happens in our community. We are no less safe or more safe than any other college community,' said Anderson, 'We want to raise that awareness that people can't have these prejudices like, 'violence only happens to poor people,' or 'people who live in that neighborhood' or 'this ethnic group' or 'those religious people.' Violence cuts across all socioeconomic lines, all kinds of lines, and it is something that we need to understand so that we can work as a community to try to lessen it.' (Photo Credit: Zoe Mowery/WFXR News) For the rest of this week, those who wish to create a shirt are able to from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the women's center on Washington Street. This is open to everyone in the community. Another time to see some of the shirts collected over the decades is at the Annual Take Back the Night on April 10th at 7 p.m., an annual rally on campus against all forms of sexual violence. For more information about domestic violence, you can visit the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
