Colby-Sawyer College Hosts the N.H. Clothesline Project to Raise Awareness of Violence and Sexual Abuse
NEW LONDON, N.H. – Colby-Sawyer will host the N.H. Clothesline Project for the 14th consecutive year. The project is a display of over 5,500 T-shirts with written messages and illustrations that visually demonstrate the impact of violence against women and men who are survivors of abuse (sexual, domestic, mental, et cetera). These shirts represent the need to “break the silence;” the women and men who have contributed to the project did so to show the courage required to survive and heal from abuse. By hanging these shirts out in the open, the abused and their families can leave behind some of the pain of the past and continue their healing process.
The event, sponsored by Colby-Sawyer's Department of Campus Safety Women's Initiative with support from the AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program, will be in the Mercer Hall gymnasium on Wednesday, April 29 through Saturday, May 2. The project will be open for viewing to all college and community members from 9-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and on Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon.
The Clothesline Project has a presence in more than 40 states and five countries. Colby-Sawyer is one of two locations in New Hampshire where the project is displayed each spring. Though the State House lawn in Concord shows some shirts, only Colby-Sawyer shows all T-shirts made since the beginning of the New Hampshire Clothesline Project.
National surveys reveal that one in four college women have been subjected to rape or attempted rape since the age of 14, and that nine in 10 acquaintance rapes are never reported. Every day, approximately 1,870 sexual assaults occur across the United States. Viewing the vast collection of shirts is often enough to encourage a survivor of abuse to make a shirt and break his or her silence. There will be materials available to anyone who wishes to contribute to the project by hanging a shirt.
Through events, prevention education and survivor support, the Campus Safety Women's Initiative seeks to educate men and women about sexual assault and domestic violence. The Clothesline Project provides a nationwide network of support and information for communities interested in starting their own local projects.
For more information on the Clothesline Project, or to volunteer, please contact Donna Brennan at (603) 526-3927.
To learn more about other public events at Colby-Sawyer, visit www.colby-sawyer.edu/events.
-Michelle L. Buser '09
Michelle L. Buser is a Communications Studies major and an intern in College Communications at Colby-Sawyer College.
Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with pre-professional experience. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.colby-sawyer.edu.
Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000
