University Shines Light on Domestic Violence Through Events, Clothesline Project

SUNY Plattsburgh’s Title IX/VI office has made sure the campus community knows that October is Domestic Violence Awareness month with a slate of activities leading up to possibly the most visible example of its impact on the community.

The Clothesline Project has become an international movement, visually representative of the thousands of women who have been victims of violence at the hands of people who supposedly loved them.

At SUNY Plattsburgh, Sarah Cohen, deputy coordinator of Title IX/VI, has carried on the tradition of the project, stringing dozens of tee shirts up both sides and down the middle of the main staircase of the Angell College Center. Faculty, staff, students and campus visitors can see the messages hand written on the shirts through the end of the month.

“The Clothesline Project tee shirts make sure the voices of victims are heard,” Cohen said. The tee shirts are a colorful reminder “that everybody knows somebody who’s experienced some form of domestic violence.”

Tee Shirts Represent More

The project has its roots on Cape Cod, Mass., when in 1990, survivors of abuse and sexual assault hung 31 tee shirts across the Hyannis Village Green. The idea was a simple one: Let women tell their story on a tee that’s then hung on a line. Since that first clothesline, the project has grown into an international exhibit. On campus, the tee shirts serve as reminders of violence and death, but there are also messages of hope, caring and support.

The idea is that shirts, displaying a range of abuse, are one-of-a-kind creations that are personal to the individual who makes it. Colors include:

• White for women who died as a result of violent acts
• Yellow or beige for women who have been battered or assaulted
• Red, pink and orange, for women survivors of rape and sexual assault
• Blue or green, for women survivors of incest and sexual abuse
• Purple or lavender, representing women attacked because of their sexual orientation

Some clotheslines include brown or gray, for survivors of emotional, verbal or spiritual abuse. Black represents women assaulted and permanently handicapped as a result of violence or who were abused because they are disabled.

“While we don’t know who made what shirt — and we’ve combined new ones with those made over the years — we do know that each shirt represents someone who has been affected by violence,” Cohen said. Tabling continues Oct. 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at which time, anyone can stop by and create their own tee shirt.

Voice to Victims

Cohen said the tee shirts give a voice to victims and survivors, honoring a loved one — even if that loved one is themself.

“It’s another way for their voices to be heard when they don’t feel comfortable vocalizing it,” she said. “It’s a nice way to bring people together to feel brave enough to say what they need to say.”

Earlier in the month, Cohen traveled to the SUNY Plattsburgh campus in Queensbury to make the Title IX/VI office known there, bringing the message that “they’re a part of SUNY Plattsburgh; we’re here for them as well,” she said. “We did the Clothesline Project there so students there could have a voice and show their support to survivors of domestic violence.”

Other October Events

Other Domestic Violence Awareness Month events included Purpling the Plaza Oct 15, an event that featured tabling from different departments, clubs and organizations as well as rock painting and chalk writing for messages on the plaza. Cohen and her student employees who helped organize the October events, handed out purple shirts with a message that reads, “Your Story Matters.”

The next day, Title IX/VI teamed up with Omega Phi Beta sorority for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, an event meant to raise awareness of rape, sexual assault and gender-based violence while at the same time, starting a discussion on gender stereotypes and expectations. The title comes from the part of the event where men put on women’s high-heeled shoes for a mile walk.

At SUNY Plattsburgh, the event featured information tables, a speak-out for people to share, and then — because it was raining — Cohen had the men wearing heels participate in several activities in addition to walking, such as picking something off the floor as if they were wearing a skirt, and walking up the ACC staircase between the Clothesline Project tee shirts.

“The key is showing up and being there,” Cohen said. “Shoes were optional, but we had students who were there wanting to participate. They were surprised. One of the men thought they’d been in the shoes a half hour. I told them it had only been 10 minutes.”

The month wraps up Oct. 27 with Behavioral Health Services North’s annual candlelight vigil in the ACC, “in remembrance and solidarity for those affected by domestic and sexual violence,” according to its social media posts.

“It was lovely last year,” Cohen said. “It was a beautiful way for our campus community to join with community members. It shows that domestic and sexual violence happen outside higher ed as well.”

For more information on Domestic Violence Awareness Month initiatives, the Clothesline Project at SUNY Plattsburgh and Title XI/VI, contact Cohen at 518-564-5415, email [email protected] or visit https://www.plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/health-safety/title-ix/events.html.

—  By Associate Director of Communications Gerianne Downs; Photos Provided