This project was first started in 1990 in Cape Cod, MA by a group of women whom had experienced some type of personal violence and wanted a way to take staggering, mind-numbing statistics and turn them into a provocative, "in-your-face" educational and healing tool (theclotheslineproject.org). The woman who are part of this project create a shirt that says something in memory of what happened to them or someone they know to inform others. They design these shirts then hang them for people to see and be aware of women and violence. The program itself is an grassroots effort to raise awareness about violence and abuse against women (Large, V. (2005) bsccomment.com). This programs focuses on the issue of women and violence. This consists of any type of violence again women whether it be abuse from a partner, stranger, or friend. The project brings out awareness and also gives inspiration to those who never told their stories about their abuse to come out and do so. Now the people who can get involved in this program group of anyone who has face violence or know of someone who has face violence. This program has become a support group for those who need it.
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As I found on theclotheslineproject.org there are different colored shirts used for this program that signifies the different types of violence that have happened to these women (the reason for the violence) which are as followed: WHITE is for women who died because of violence, YELLOW/BEIGE is for women whom were battered and/or assaulted, RED/PINK/ORANGE is for survivors of rape and sexual assault, PURPLE/LAVENDER is for women attacked because of their sexual orientation, and BLACK is for the women who were attacked for political reasons (Clothesline Project). Those are the different reasons there is violence against women.
An example of one extreme success that this program has/had was back in 1995, as Large (2005) from the bsccomment.com said that "the largest incarnation of the Clothesline Project was erected in Washington D.C. when 5,000 shirts were hanging at once, and that there would have been more if there was more scaffolding to hang them from. This was one of the most significant successes with the program because this was so early on in the project years and it was such a large amount of people who participated. Especially since looking back and noticing that the first time this was ever done there were 31 shirts displayed at an annual "Take Back the Night" march and rally (theclotheslineproject.com).
I would say that this program is an example of a "social welfare development approach" as stated by Homan (2011). Homan (2011) mentions that "community change... community organization and development: which brings people together to get, maintain, and use power to improve conditions they face" (Homan, M.S. 2011, pp.82). This is an example that I found in the reading that really related to this type of program. It's related in the manner that this program and the one described above about the community is very much a like, both of the developments intentions is to tell those in the community and to help bring people together, so that they can help one another.
Resources:
Clothesline Project: HISTORY. (n.d.).The Clothesline Project - Fighting Violence Against Women. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://www.clotheslineproject.org/History.html
Large, V. (2005, October 6). The Clothesline Project raises awareness about abuse - Sports - The Comment - Bridgewater State University . The Comment - Bridgewater State University. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://www.bsccomment.com/sports/the-clothesline-project-raises-awareness-about-abuse-1.2232992#.Txs1sphqvzI
