Clothesline Project at Bristol Community College

November 1, 2024

Every year in October, our Advocacy team partners with Bristol Community College for the Clothesline project.

The Clothesline Project is a visual display that bears witness to the violence against women. During the public display, a clothesline is hung with shirts. Each shirt is created to tell the story of a woman’s or child’s experience, by the survivor herself or by the loved ones of those who died.

The purpose of the project is four-fold:
1.To bear witness to the survivors as well as the victims of the war against women.
2.To help with the healing process for people who have lost a loved one or are survivors of this violence.
3. To educate, document and raise society’s awareness of the extent of the problem of violence against women.
4. To provide a nationwide network of support, encouragement and information for other communities starting their own Clothesline Projects.

Leimary, our Advocacy Coordinator, writes:

“The moment I open the purple suitcase I get a flood of emotions as the words on the shirts jump out at me. The clothesline this year, like every year, catches the students and staff by surprise and at times, shock as they walk in. Everyone is curious to see why all these shirts have messages. This is the first year we had so many domestic violence survivors that wanted to write on shirts and also wanted to verbally tell us their story.
We had a few students from last year come again and they were grateful to see the display and their shirt up as well. Because we have the display up with resources for 2 days a few people came the next day with another person so they can also share their story and use their voice. Domestic violence is loud and painful but so is every voice on these shirts and the YWCA  has be the safe place to so many that truly needed to let go, speak up and feel heard!”

 

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