Community Project

The Clothesline Project is the community program that I have decided to examine for this blog post.  Two years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to view a local “clothesline” while attending Bristol Community College.  I was inspired by the messages of hope and determination expressed on many of the shirts that were displayed.  I was particularly interested in one section of this clothesline that had been reserved for t-shirts created by the children of domestic violence victims and survivors.  Viewing the entire project  was difficult, but this particular section broke my heart and inspired a passion deep within me to make a difference in the lives of these children.  One of my main interests within the scope of social work has always been child welfare and the effects of domestic violence on our youngest citizens, but this display reignited my drive.  

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “witnessing violence between one’s parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next” (http://www.ncadv.org).  As a society we need to stop this cycle from being perpetuated upon our children.  The video I have included here demonstrates the depth and scope of this epidemic and the effects that domestic violence has on our children. 

The Clothesline Project began in 1990 with a modest display of 31 shirts in Hyannis, Massachusetts.  The project was initiated by a coalition of women working for domestic violence awareness on Cape Cod and the idea to present it in the form of t-shirts hanging on the clothesline belonged to a local artist, Rachel Carey-Harper, who was inspired by visual impact of the AIDS quilt.  There are four purposes to the project and they include: bearing witness to the survivors and the victims of domestic violence, fostering the healing process for these women and their families, educating and raising awareness in society tot he scope of the problem, and providing a nationwide network of support for those affected by domestic violence and the communities in which they live.  According to the organization’s website, 

It is the very process of designing a shirt that gives each woman a new voice with which to expose an often horrific and unspeakable experience that has dramatically altered the course of her life. Participating in this project provides a powerful step towards helping a survivor break through the shroud of silence that has surrounded her experience.  (Clotheslineproject.org, 2011)

The intent here is to allow women to tell their stories using their own words or artwork, allowing for some healing to occur.  This project does not seek to explore the root causes of domestic violence, but rather to give voice to those living in silence who are affected by the problem.  It was also the intent of the initial coalition to transform the horrifying statistics associated with domestic violence into an educational opportunity and healing tool.  Although this particular project does not focus on the cause of violence against women, I personally feel that our current economic crisis will continue to have an incredible impact on the increase in domestic violence today.  As  more people face unemployment, losing their homes, and increased costs of living, pressures will build in families and inevitably could give way to an increase in battering and abuse.  As mentioned in the Homan text, if we view economic struggles as one of the sources of domestic violence, "then community and social change strategies are our primary course" (p 75).  The Clothesline Project seeks to accomplish this task by building social awareness in regards to this issue.

         The original Clothesline Project was featured in the magazine of a non-profit agency called, Off Our Backs, but was picked up by the nationally circulated MS Magazine, changing everything for the small grassroots project.  With the backing of the Ryka Rose Foundation and the Carol Cone advertising firm, a national push was on to bring awareness to the issue and those affected by it.  The National Network of the Clothesline Project estimates that today there are more than 500 such projects in existence around the globe, involving roughly 50-60 thousand t-shirts.  Successful displays are typically part of Take Back the Night events at community sites, colleges and universities, such as Harvard, Auburn and UCLA and state houses across the country.

This community effort of the original project and others that have evolved because of it ties in nicely with the reading from the Brown text.  It is mentioned in the reading that building support within one's community must go beyond simply helping the individuals within the group (Brown, p 342). These clothesline projects that have sprung up around our country and in other countries allows these woman a chance to feel (and see) that they are not alone and that others in their communities support them.   

   

SOURCES

Brown, Michael J. (2007). Building Powerful Community Organizations: A     
     personal  guide to creating groups that can solve problems and change the
     world. Long Haul Press (pp. 335-348).

Clothesline Project. (2011). Retrieved January 22, 2012,   
     http://www.clotheslineproject.org/History.html

Homan, M. S. (2008). Relating community change to professional practice:
     Making it happen in the real world. Promoting Community Change. Belmont:
     Brooks Cole.(pp.74-95). 


http://www.ncadv.org/files/DomesticViolenceFactSheet(National).pdf. Retrieved
January 21, 2012.