Kristin Hohman

Editor-in-Chief

Scared into silence, a young girl is traumatized by her abuser.

A survivor (L) overcomes the psychological control from abuse at the hands of his father. On the right, a former drug addict and abuse survivor reclaims their self-love.

During the week of April 17-21, dozens of t-shirts decorated the staircase in the College Center commons at Lorain County Community College. This exhibit is part of The Clothesline Project, a group founded in 1990 whose aim is to bring awareness to the problem of violence against women.

Each survivor has the opportunity to decorate a t-shirt as a testament to the violence they’ve experienced. The t-shirts are then displayed in public to bear witness to the ongoing issue of violence against women. Men have also contributed to the project.

The exhibit was presented by Kidz First Children’s Advocacy Center, a program of the Nord Center. The t-shirts that were on display were created by survivors of sexual abuse or assault and their families in Lorain County. Many of the t-shirts are from survivors who have worked with the Lorain County Rape Crisis Center.

The color of each t-shirt represents a specific kind of abuse that individual has been exposed to. The color-key is listed below.

An incest victim who had an abortion as a result of her abuse lists those sexually assaulted her.

This shirt, made by a Lorain County resident, describes the abuse their sisters, brother, and themselves suffered at the hands of their grandfather.

All photos: Kent Springborn Jr. | The Collegian

                                                                  – White: individuals who died as a result of violent acts.

– Yellow/beige:  individuals who have been battered or assaulted.

– Red/pink/orange: represents survivors of rape and sexual assault.

– Blue/ green: indicates survivors of incest and sexual abuse.

– Purple/lavender represents women attacked due to their sexual orientation.

– Black: for women assaulted for political reasons.

T-shirts from The Clothesline Project hang on the staircase in the College Center commons.

Shirts from The Clothesline Project exhibit hang in the College Center Building.