Each year the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) hosts a myriad of different events on campus. Some of these events include One Smart Cookie, Women’s Night of Worship, Sister Talk, Self-Care Fridays, Miss Representation, the Black Hair Forum and Stand up for Your Sister. This week, starting Oct. 5 until Oct. 9, is the Clothesline Project.
This event exists to promote awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault while providing support for the victims. The event will be located in Seven Palms, Monday-Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
According to Mariana Pedroza, senior political science major and administrator for the WRC, students will be welcome to anonymously write their stories on the back of T-shirts provided by the WRC and hang them on the clotheslines strung between the palm trees. Pedroza went on to explain that students who are not victims are welcome to “show support for their classmates” by writing on socks also provided by the WRC.
In addition to writing their support on socks, men are welcome to take a pledge against domestic violence and sexual assault, as another way to uplift the victims and impact the campus.
For those who want a more private setting, all supplies will be left out after hours so students can participate at the time they choose.
Elaine Walton, director of the WRC, said that the Clothesline Project is “particularly important in a Christian environment. People often have experiences that get overlooked or not acknowledged.”
She goes on to explain that this event enables the community “to come together to recognize that people are hurting, and love and support victims without making them feel like an outsider.”
“We are one,” Walton she said.
WRC staff and volunteers, the Counseling Center, the Office of Campus Pastors, Residence Life and the Health Center will all be available at various times throughout the event to provide their resources and their compassion.
“The role of the Campus Pastors in the Clothesline Project is to show our support for the excellent work being done by the Women’s Resource Center and to come alongside students who might want to talk with a pastor about their experiences with domestic violence,” Campus Pastor Kelly Roth said.
Katie Swauger, a senior and communication studies major, has attended the event consecutively in the past years and said that it is something she considers a “privilege to be a part of each year.”
“It’s powerful to see the stories of women conquerors and get to stand beside them,” Swauger continued.
For more information about the Clothesline Project or how to get involved, stop by the Women’s Resource Center, located behind the Cougar Dome and adjacent to the OAT Office.