By Marcelle Richards
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
[email protected]
Starting today, decorated shirts will hang at Schoenberg Quad to
commemorate victims of gender and sexual violence, many of them
students and members of UCLA.
The palette of color-coded messages ““ which will be up
from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Thursday ““ aims to raise
awareness, help survivors heal and remember those who did not
survive.
Blue and green shirts stand for a survivor of incest or child
abuse; red, orange or pink for rape; black for sexual harassment.
Survivors of multiple types of abuse decorate multi-colored
shirts.
The line may be spotted with an occasional white shirt ““ a
memorial to someone who was murdered or committed suicide as a
result of sexual violence.
In years past, the shirts have featured phrases or symbols
depicting the feelings of victims, like “si te quieres a ti
mismo puedes salir a delante en tu vida” ““ “if
you love yourself, you will succeed in life.”
The project was established in 1990 by Cape Cod Women’s
Agenda in Hyannis, Mass. and has since become a national annual
event. The project, which made its first appearance at UCLA in
1998, is run by a team of students.
Students, staff and faculty can make a shirt at the Center for
Women and Men or the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource
Center.
The project is part of Women for Change week; it includes other
events that focus on sexual abuse, women in academia, perceptions
of feminism and related topics.
The Clothesline Project vigil, called “Take Back the
Night,” will begin Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Bruin Plaza, and
will feature speakers and musicians.
Visit the Center for Women and Men at 2 Dodd Hall or the LGBT
Resource Center at 220 Kinsey Hall. Contact the Clothesline Project
at 825-7041.