Airing the truth: Norene Otnes of the
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium
chants a blessing for the Alaska Clothesline Project.
Photo by David Asti
A clothesline full of colorful t-shirts expressed horrific stories of violence committed against women.
The shirts lined the dining area from Oct. 24 through Oct. 27 in the Mourant building. The collection, named the Alaskan Clothesline Project, travels the state displaying color coded shirts that describe the type of violence committed against its victim. One shirt displayed a message about a child asking her father why she was sexually assaulted by him.
Norene Otnes of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) blessed the hanging of the shirts with chanting and spiritual beating of drums.
“I want to come and support by encouraging,” Otnes said.
The purple, orange, green and red t-shirts signified women who were victims of rape, physical assault, child abuse, and anti-lesbian hate crime. Especially noteworthy were the white shirts which were created in memory of women who were murdered.
Student wellness supervisor Cheryl Loudermilk helped facilitate the display of the project at UAS.
“Having (the shirts) here for a few days gives people a chance to read and become aware of the issue,” Loudermilk said. “People will be aware and not make those choices to repeat alcoholism and violence.”
According to the Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies (AWARE) website, every 15 seconds a woman is severely beaten in the United States. Alarmingly, one in two relationships involves domestic violence.
AWARE is responsible for bringing the Alaskan clothesline project to Juneau. Ann Ropp, a psychology professor at UAS, works for AWARE.
“I think it’s one of those things that people talk about that is hard to admit but is made easier by looking at a t-shirt,” Ropp said. “In Juneau, there are on average four domestic violence calls per day.”
Ropp and Loudermilk pulled the shirts down in a deserted cafeteria, on an otherwise busy Friday.
Loudermilk suggested that the graphic content of the t-shirts made eating in the area uncomfortable for students, but believed the discomfort was worthwhile in order to spread the message of the project. She hopes UAS students will start their own clothesline project next year.
