Clothesline Project Takes Stand Against Gender Violence on Campus

By Celeste Arbelaez

To raise awareness of gender-based violence and the effect it has on its victims, the Criminal Justice club hosted its 17th annual Clothesline Project on Wednesday, April 16 on the Flagpole Lawn from 10 am until 3 pm. Students were encouraged to create unique T-shirt designs that speak to the issues. In addition to over 150 T-shirts that were created in previous events, there were 400 blank T-shirts available to decorate, which were then displayed around Flagpole Lawn and the University Center. 

About 50 Panthers stopped by on their way to classes to read the messages on previously created T-shirts. This encouraged many to participate and create their own. They had different colored shirts to choose from, with each color representing different aspects of gender-based violence. For example, the white shirts symbolized those who have passed away due to the violence they suffered, while the red, pink and orange shirts symbolized rape and sexual assault survivors. White, blue and green shirts represented survivors of child sexual violence or incest. The purple and lavender shirts acknowledged people who were attacked due to their gender or sexual identity. Lastly, the black shirts stood for people who were left permanently handicapped due to the violence they suffered or who were abused and exploited because of their disability. 

Two Adelphi students participated by writing and decorating the red shirt, which would later be hung up around campus alongside the other students' shirts.  Photo by Victoria Rodriguez

Victoria Rodriguez, a junior majoring in criminal justice with a sociology minor, serves as the Criminal Justice Club's vice president. In an interview with The Delphian, she discussed the history of the movement. She explained that the Clothesline Project originated in the 1970s with feminist Mexican artist Mónica Mayer, whose installation El Tendedero/The Clothesline in Mexico City invited women to share their experiences with gender violence. The movement continued in 1990 on Cape Cod, where a group of women launched an initiative focused on education, breaking the silence, and bearing witness to violence against women. The tradition made its way to other states and schools across the country, like Adelphi, Augusta University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Missouri.

Rodriguez said, “For the past 17 years, Adelphi’s Criminal Justice Club has organized its own version of the Clothesline Project, often in collaboration with other campus groups and the Center for Student Community Engagement, to raise awareness of gender-based and interpersonal violence and to show support for survivors.”

The table that was set up for the event showed the variety of shirts, with each color representing a different aspect of violence. Participants were encouraged to write messages that reflect their own experiences or to support others. Photo by Victoria Rodriguez

Throughout the years, the Clothesline Project has proven to be an easy and accessible way for students to get involved and educate themselves on the topic of gender violence, Rodriguez said, and through its emotional depth, the initiative has become an impactful tradition on campus.

“Personally, I think one of the most powerful parts of the Clothesline Project is the raw, personal expression on each shirt. Every shirt tells a story—sometimes through words, sometimes through symbols or color—and together they create a visual representation of survival, loss, resilience and solidarity. The silence of the display makes the messages even louder,” said Rodriguez.

Club president Shanna Daliendo, a senior majoring in history with a criminal justice, and African, Black, Caribbean studies, emphasized how necessary it is to have an event like this on campus.

Some of the members of the Criminal Justice Club and two professors. The student’s present were Bineet Kaur, Victoria Rodriguez, Professor Argie Agalarkis, Elizabeth Manton, Shanna Daliendo, and Professor Katherine Lake.   Photo by Celeste Arbelaez      

“From the experience of Clothesline, I want Adelphi students to be more aware of interpersonal violence, especially the warning signs that may lead up to such, and the importance of assisting victims who have endured this,” Daliendo said. “The Clothesline Project not only teaches the Adelphi community about different forms of violence and sexual assault. It also offers a haven for anyone, whether they are a victim, friend or family member of a victim, and those that want to be there for this person, to speak out against it and seek comfort, in the form of collective unity.”

Daliendo also stressed the visual impact the display had. “I do think that the Clothesline Project spreads enough awareness of the issues of gender violence because the T-shirts that are hanging from the trees on the Flagpole Lawn turn everyone’s eye,” she said. “It creates a statement that forces the Adelphi community to reflect and speak about the issue right before them.”

This event helps people become more self-aware of what’s going on in the world. And that violence can occur to anyone, no matter their gender or sexual identity. The display of the shirts made over 50 students reflect on the efforts of the Criminal Justice club.

Sophomore Riley Gallagher, a psychology major with a criminal justice minor, said, “I think it’s important to show support to those who have gone through violence and to make them feel safe and comfortable to speak up no matter who they are.” 

There were 25 volunteers who helped to make the Clothesline Project a success, once again, making an important and lasting impact throughout campus.