Clothesline Project puts empowering voices on display

T-shirts are a common item of clothing worn every day. Some carry meaning important to students while others are chosen just for comfort. In the past few weeks, the VOICE Center has utilized T-shirts to create a message board for empowering victims of interpersonal violence with the Clothesline Project.

Students may have noticed the project hanging outside the SUB, where brightly-colored shirts with phrases of unity and strength hung from several clotheslines. The shirts were painted as an expression from victims of domestic and sexual violence. Examples of the messages included “My voice matters, so I spoke up,” “Hands are not for hitting” and “I am not an object.”

Anna Slown, Direct Service Specialist and Volunteer Coordinator for the VOICE Center, said, “It is an option to give voices to survivors of domestic violence and other types of violence such as sexual assault or stalking. It just allows survivors to be able to speak their words and kind of find some healing from speaking out but in a way that maintains anonymity.”

The Clothesline Project, in combination with other events organized by the advocacy center, brings awareness to survivors on and off campus. It began in 1990 and occurs every year on campuses across the country leading up to the Take Back the Night event, which occurs every April coinciding with Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

At MSU, Take Back the Night displays survivor art projects and opens the floor of the SUB ballrooms for a survivor speak-out, followed by a rally or march and a celebration at The Baxter Hotel. “It is our big push to really speak about sexual violence on our campus and in our community,” Slown said.

“I really love the way that it reaches out to people so that they can walk by and they don’t even need to stop they can just read,” Slown said. “It lets any survivors know that they’re not alone and also lets people that haven’t been impacted know that they can step up and help as well.”

By providing victims with this platform, the organization empowers survivors yet to come forward for help. “Sexual violence is very isolating. A lot of survivors think that they’re unable to reach out for help or that they are all alone in this,” Slown said. “Seeing that other people have been impacted by sexual violence and are continuing to heal can be really helpful so they know they are not alone.”

A 24-hour confidential helpline, reached at (406) 994-7069, is operated by the VOICE Center. The informational and support services provided by the organization, located in room 370 of the SUB, are free and anonymous. Secondary survivors, such as friends and family of victims, are also encouraged to reach out for help at the center.