October 2, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Diana Hunter, School of Continuing Education, UVSC
Phone: (801) 863-7427
Email: hunterdi@uvsc.edu
OREM, Utah-The UVSC Equity in Education Center and the Turning Point Women's Resource Center will host a presentation of the Clothesline Project on October 9th and 10th, 2007 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the UVSC Grande Ballroom on the Orem campus. On Tuesday, October 9th at 7:00 p.m., Finding Voice: The Music of Utah Battered Women will be performing. The program is a powerful musical performance given by survivors of domestic violence and was created at Utah State University by Elizabeth York. On Wednesday, October 10th at 6:00 p.m., Bikers Against Child Abuse (B.A.C.A.) will speak about their organization and the vital work they do with child survivors of violence.
The Clothesline Project is a worldwide movement aimed at raising awareness of and combating all types of violence in the community. It began in 1990 in Hyannis, Massachusetts with a group of about 30 women contributing shirts depicting their thoughts and emotions regarding their experiences as victims of violence. The shirts were hung on a clothesline, symbolic of society's dirty laundry. Today there are Clothesline Projects in 41 states and 5 countries.
"The Clothesline Project provides evidence that violence does exist, even in Utah County," Jennie Briggs, of the UVSC Equity in Education Training Resource Center, said. "It is a reminder of the real meaning of the statistics [on violence] we often ignore."
The UVSC Equity Center sponsors and maintains the Utah Valley Clothesline Project. The Project is composed of shirts created by survivors of violence, or by a friend or family member of someone who died from violence. Equity in Education Center records show that over 800 people viewed the Utah Valley Clothesline Project during its most recent display in April 2007. Included in the display is a shirt made in honor of Lori Hacking and her unborn child.
According to Briggs, the major goals of the Utah Valley Clothesline Project are raising community awareness about the reality of violence, providing support for survivors of violence, providing information on how to identify and prevent violence and motivating viewers to actively work to end violence.
Survivors of violence who view the exhibit are encouraged to make shirts to add to the display. Shirts and the materials used to decorate them are provided to the public free of charge. Those who prefer to do so may make a t-shirt elsewhere and drop it off at the display.
The Utah Valley Clothesline Project differs from many other Clothesline Projects worldwide in that it is not exclusively focused on violence against women. "The goal is to help us all realize that violence is a problem for everyone-women, men and children-and we need to come together to find a solution," Briggs said.
Each shirt represents one survivor's feelings and does not reflect every survivor's attitude. Those who view the display are encouraged to be respectful of the display and the victims' feelings. Briggs advised that emotions expressed on the shirts are intense and at times graphic. "You will see fear, anger and pain, but you will also see love, hope and healing," Briggs said.
A red shirt displayed in the Clothesline Project reads, "When you keep the hate that allows them to hurt you over and over. When you let it go you get the power back. The wounds have healed, the bruises have faded. But the words and actions are here with me. You have nothing over me and anymore. " A blue shirt reads, "The best revenge is living my life well."
Each shirt color represents a different form of violence, including red, pink or orange for those who have been raped or sexually assaulted, blue or green for survivors of incest, yellow or beige for those who have been battered or assaulted, purple or lavender for those who have been attacked because of their sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation, black for those who were attacked because of a disability or became disabled as the result of an attack, gray for those subjected to emotional abuse, and white for those who have died by violence. These colors are not mandatory.
The Clothesline Project is displayed at UVSC twice every year in April and October.
The Equity in Education Center and Turning Point Women's Resource Center are part of the UVSC School of Continuing Education. For more information about the Clothesline Project, contact the Equity Center at (801) 863-8498. To view the Utah Valley Clothesline Project online go to www.clotheslineproject.org.
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