Shirts decorated by survivors of sexual and domestic assault string between trees near the CBA building. Picture Courtesy of Alex Kroeger
Passing by students stop to look at hundreds of decorated shirts by "survivors" today on campus as part of the annual sexual awareness event labelled, The Clothesline Project.
Melissa Valle, a CSULB student and a volunteer for the project says this is event is essentially a way of "airing out dirty laundry...of breaking the silence," about sexual and domestic assault.
Every year, the women's crisis center, puts on this event in accordance with April being sexual awareness month and it is a part of the on-going campus campaign called, Project Safe.
According to the Project Safe resource booklet, "The Clothesline Project began in 1990 in Massachusetts as a grassroots movement," using visual display to create the message. The event came to CSULB in 1993 and has been a continuous success every year. The shirts, that are strung from various trees on campus located mainly near the CBA building, create a "clothesline" effect, by displaying messages designed by women affected by sexual and domestic violence. Shirts are color-coded as to what type of violence the creator endured.
Video Courtesy of Youtube.com
This video displays the same event on a different campus as part of the country-wide campaign.
With some shirts reading messages such as: "Gang raped at 5 but the strong do survive," and "I said no," it gives the overall theme of women not being victims but being survivors.
"Many of the shirts are created by women who go to or have gone to the Women's Crisis Center on campus," says Karina Zamora, another CSULB student volunteer, "But some of the shirts are made by other members of the Long Beach community.
This visual display stops Elizabeth Corona, a prospective student visiting from Los Angeles. She says, "It interests me knowing other people's stories. I have a friend who was a victim of rape."
"By doing this, they take back some of the power that was taken from them," says Valle.
This event will be occurring on Wednesday, April 28 as well and will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the same spot between the CBA building and parking structure one.
Melissa Valle, a CSULB student and a volunteer for the project says this is event is essentially a way of "airing out dirty laundry...of breaking the silence," about sexual and domestic assault.
Every year, the women's crisis center, puts on this event in accordance with April being sexual awareness month and it is a part of the on-going campus campaign called, Project Safe.
According to the Project Safe resource booklet, "The Clothesline Project began in 1990 in Massachusetts as a grassroots movement," using visual display to create the message. The event came to CSULB in 1993 and has been a continuous success every year. The shirts, that are strung from various trees on campus located mainly near the CBA building, create a "clothesline" effect, by displaying messages designed by women affected by sexual and domestic violence. Shirts are color-coded as to what type of violence the creator endured.
Video Courtesy of Youtube.com
This video displays the same event on a different campus as part of the country-wide campaign.
With some shirts reading messages such as: "Gang raped at 5 but the strong do survive," and "I said no," it gives the overall theme of women not being victims but being survivors.
"Many of the shirts are created by women who go to or have gone to the Women's Crisis Center on campus," says Karina Zamora, another CSULB student volunteer, "But some of the shirts are made by other members of the Long Beach community.
This visual display stops Elizabeth Corona, a prospective student visiting from Los Angeles. She says, "It interests me knowing other people's stories. I have a friend who was a victim of rape."
"By doing this, they take back some of the power that was taken from them," says Valle.
This event will be occurring on Wednesday, April 28 as well and will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the same spot between the CBA building and parking structure one.
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