Hosted by Nonprofit Waymakers, the 18^th Annual Clothesline Project Empowers Victims of Sexual Assault and Other Crimes to Speak Out Against Their Abusers

Over 1,000 multicolored T-shirts will hang on clotheslines around Fullerton College and Cal State Fullerton and across colleges and universities throughout Orange County this month.

WHEN/WHERE:

•Tuesday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. – Fullerton College (Central Quad)
321 E Chapman Ave, Fullerton, CA 92832

•Tuesday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. – California State University, Fullerton
800 N State College Blvd, Fullerton, CA 92831

The Clothesline Project features T-shirts with messages from individual victims of crime each telling a different story and expressing their emotions. This is a moving testament to courage and survival and speaks in high volume on behalf of victims who have sought help from the nonprofit Waymakers’ Sexual Assault Victim Services and Victim Assistance Programs.

The Clothesline Project in Orange County began in 2001 with just eight t-shirts and now in its 18^th year gives a voice to the unheard voices of hundreds of women and men affected by violence and sexual assault, as well as child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, human trafficking, domestic violence, and homicide. The visual display is a testimony for victims, and each different colored shirt signifies different crimes with handwritten messages from victims (red, pink and orange signify rape; green and blue signify child sexual abuse; gray signifies human trafficking; purple signifies rape due to sexual orientation; black signifies sexual harassment; white signifies homicide; yellow signifies domestic violence).

During this impactful and artful demonstration, Waymakers will have a table set up for victims to learn more about services available to them through the nonprofit, or to create their own shirts to add to the compelling display of the Clothesline Project. The decision to make a shirt, the act of designing and creating it, and contributing it to the project is an emotional and empowering process – allowing victims to break the silence and speak out against violence.

For over 30 years, nonprofit Waymakers has helped Orange County victims of sexual assault and abuse find their voice and overcome the hardships they’ve encountered. The Clothesline Project spreads awareness for sexual violence and assault, the services available to victims through Waymakers and offers victims an empowering process to break the silence and speak out against violence. Between 1,600 and 1,800 rape victims in Orange County are served by Waymakers’ each year. The life-changing services offered include a 24-hour crisis hotline, one-on-one peer counseling, support groups, extensive education programs (also offered to colleges and universities) and a primary prevention focus working with men’s groups.