The Clothesline Project Returns
The sun had just started to peak out of the clouds as volunteers begin to set up the tables and canopy for Monday's clothesline project as part of Santa Monica College's “Speaking Out” portion of consent week. Soon after, various colored t-shirts hang on a line, setting an example for students who want to participate.
As the second year of SMC’s consent week, Rebecca Weiland, the coordinator of the week's events and Title IX deputy for SMC’s academic affairs, had with her several boxes filled with shirts from last year's clothesline project, and many more boxes and bags with clean shirts. Students write on the shirts to share their stories, advice, and personal experiences dealing with sexual harassment and assault.
The clothesline project started at UCLA, and Weiland was exposed to it years back when she was sent over to the university for work. “The clothesline was miles long,” she describes, “the shirts covered their whole campus. It was really powerful.”
The t-shirts come in several colors, and all represent different types of assault. Yellow is for survivors of physical assault and/or domestic violence; orange, pink, and red are for survivors of rape or sexual assault; blue and green are for survivors of incest or childhood sexual abuse; purple is for survivors of attacks due to their sexual orientation. There are also grey and purple-grey for survivors of emotional, spiritual, or verbal abuse, and dark grey for those who are disabled as a result of an attack or assaulted because of a disability.
LeeAnn Bogart, curator, and volunteer of the clothesline project explains how important reaching out to victims of all degrees of abuse is. “A bruise will heal in three to four weeks, but the scars on a psyche aren't visible, and they take a lot longer,” she explains.
Bogart is a survivor and is apart of the event to help others through the process that she once had to go through herself. “For a long time it was really hard, for a long time it affected everything,” says LeeAnn Bogart through teary eyes. “Being able to give other people a voice when I felt voiceless when no one would believe me, is important. This is part of my process.”
The clothesline will be up for Wednesday's denim day. While students will not be able to write on their own shirts and hang them up, they can still walk through and read what each has to say. The shirts have become an art exhibit that will be removed and returned for as many years as possible.
“I would love to see the day when there are no more shirts to add,” states Bogart, “but the reality is until things change, there will be more shirts.”
The exhibit serves as “a wake-up call,” as Rebecca Weiland puts it, for those who have raped and/or assaulted. Moreover, it is something to raise awareness and help survivors in need.
“Even if it happens off campus, still let us know so we can help you,” Weiland says.