Blog Post #2 The Clothesline Project!!

After quickly reviewing the three programs, I've decided to research The Clothesline Project.  This program began in Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1990 by a coalition of womens groups who wanted to shatter the silence, educate, and raise awareness of violence against women.  This program started out small but has attracted many women from all over the world.  Rachel Carey-Harper was the women who came up with the concept of using T-shirts for survivors of violence to tell their story on by using words, images, and creative artwork.  Then once a shirt is completed they can hang it on the clothesline.  The original clothesline was displayed on the village green in Hyannis, Ma, with 31 shirts on it.  The concept behind this program is simple yet powerful.  Survivors can let their feelings out and feel a release of emotions. They also are able to see they are not alone in their struggle. Lastly, they can literally hang up their pain and walk away from it, attempting to leave it in the past.  Designing a shirt allows women to come forward and break their silence that has enveloped them and hopefully provide steps to further their healing.  This has become the mission of The Clothesline Project.  The Clotheline Project also partakes in the annual "Take Back the Night" march and rally. (The Clothesline Project, 2011) 

Shortly after this local project began, the Ryka Rose Foundation and Carol Cone's advertising agency was captivated by the work of the program and began writing pieces in magazines such as USA Weekend and Shape, thus creating a national response to The Clothesline Project.  This once small project is now a national and internation campaign. (The Clothesline Project, 2011)

What are the root causes of violence against women? From what I've been able to gather, I do not think this projects aim is to uncover the root causes of violence.  I think the causes of violence are too great and too many for one program to tackle.  I'm sitting here thinking to myself what the causes are and I could probably rattle on and on a bunch of theories.  So let's start. I think men who have no respect for women and have been raised to think they are better than any woman are responsible.  I think abusers come from abusers.  When the cycle of abuse of any kind cannot be broken then, the once victim has a greater chance of becoming an abuser.  I think drugs and alcohol play a huge part in violence against women.  I wonder, of all the women who have died at the hands of their abuser, how many of those abusers were addicted to drugs and alcohol?  That would be an interesting statistic.  I think culture plays an enormous role in the violence as well.  Many cultures hold little worth for women thus leaving plenty of room for conscious and accepted violence against women.  I think status or affiliation within a community allow some men to abuse their wives with the thought that they can't be caught.  Let's see how many cops, politicians, fire fighters, first responders, etc are  there who actually engage in domestic violence?  These men are able to hide behind their status and do what they want because there's no way their wives are going to be able to go for help.  How does the wife of a trooper go to the police to stop him from hitting her?  I could keep going but I think this is enough for now.  It's clear that tons of factors come into play in the reasons for violence against women.  I can only hope that through awareness and education we can decrease violence against women for future generations.         

Example of a Successful Program: St. Michaels College, Vermont: The Clothesline Project  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ov8f70xHf0  

I think this Clothesline Project at this campus was a local success for these students because their goal was to raise awareness and they definitely did that. It made the local news and many students felt comfortable enough to participate in it.  Over 100 T-Shirts were displayed across the campus green.

The Homan Chapter (Homan, 2011) connects to this and other community interventions because it discusses the importance of working towards change and how that is a fundamental role for a social worker.  As social workers, we make connections between our theories and perceptions in order to approach a specific issue.  When working with individuals we need to determine whether their struggles are caused by their own behaviors or by outside forces that are out of their control.  If we determine that the struggles are caused by social, political, or economic factors then our strategies should be geared towards community and social change. Programs such as The Clothesline Project are examples of such strategies.  (Homer, 2011)   

Works Cited:

Homan, M.  (2011). Promoting community change. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

The Clothesline Project. Retrieved Jan 2012, from History of the Clothesline Project: http://www.clotheslineproject.org/