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The Clothesline Project Display is coming to WIU Friday, April 18.
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T-shirt Making Sessions and Display Planned for The Clothesline Project

April 10, 2014

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MACOMB, IL - The Clothesline Project Display, a tribute to victims and survivors of sexual and domestic violence, will be held from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Friday, April 18 on the Western Illinois University Macomb campus.

The project will be displayed on the east lawn of the Multicultural Center, and in case of rain, the event will be moved to the Multicultural Center's first floor.

Two t-shirt making sessions are scheduled in the Women's Center Conference Room, Multicultural Center 209 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Friday, April 11 and from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, April 14. Making a shirt takes about 30 minutes. In addition, the Women's Center and Victim Services will schedule t-shirt-making sessions for groups and organizations prior to the day of the display.

According to Victim Services Director Diane Mayfield, t-shirts may be decorated by women who are survivors of dating or domestic violence (yellow, beige), sexual violence or rape (red, pink, orange), incest, child sexual abuse, child abuse (blue, green), abuse/assault due to sexual orientation, gender identity or expression abuse (purple, lilac) and those attacked for political reasons (black). Gray shirts may be decorated by male survivors of any of these crimes, and white shirts also may be made in memory of family members, friends and coworkers who have died as a result of these crimes.

The shirts will be added to the Victim Services' Clothesline Project collection for display throughout April each year, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Month, in the five-county region served by WIRC-CAA.

According to Women's Center graduate assistant and Feminist Action Alliance (FAA) graduate adviser Alicia Guzman-Riley, The Clothesline Project allows survivors to come together to express their experiences, show their respect to others and heal themselves.

"Mark your calendar and plan to stop by the Multicultural Center to view the display on April 18, and help us spread the word and encourage students and members of our campus and local community to join us for this empowering and healing event," Guzman-Riley said.

The event is sponsored by the WIU Women's Center and the Feminist Action Alliance student organization, in collaboration with the Western Illinois Regional Council-Community Action Agency's Victim Services, the University Counseling Center and WIU's Interpersonal Violence Prevention Initiative.

"Come out and witness this remarkable tribute that embraces and supports the survivors of domestic and sexual violence," says FAA Budget Coordinator Briana McGee.

To schedule a t-shirt-making session for a group or organization, call the Women's Center at (309) 298-2242 or e-mail AR-Guzman-Riley@wiu.edu.

Additional information is available at wiu.edu/wc.



Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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