The shirts that will hang from lines stretched in front of Mars Hill University’s Pittman Dining Hall this month will not represent poor housekeeping by college students, but rather will represent an awareness of an often hidden problem: domestic violence.
Mars Hill holds its annual Clothesline Project on Thursday, October 27, 2016. Students decorate T-shirts to represent individuals who have experienced some type of domestic violence or sexual abuse.
The Clothesline Project began in 1990 in Massachusetts when a small group of women wanted to find a way to educate people about and recognize the pervasive problem of domestic violence. Besides promoting awareness, the Clothesline Project serves as a source of healing for those who have been directly affected by violence. They are able to participate in T-shirt decorating and a public display of their stance against violence.
The Mars Hill University Clothesline Project is planned and promoted by the Women’s Studies Program, in conjunction with My Sister’s Place, a non-profit agency in Madison County that provides free services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. All are welcome to stop by and see this powerful visual recognition of the victims of violence.
Since 1990, the Clothesline Project has spread worldwide. For more information, see: www.clotheslineproject.org.
Mars Hill University is a premier private, liberal arts institution offering over 30 baccalaureate degrees and one graduate degree in elementary education. Founded in 1856 by Baptist families of the region, the campus is located just 20 minutes north of Asheville in the mountains of western North Carolina. Visit www.mhu.edu
