Penn Violence Prevention hosted its annual Clothesline Project on Tuesday to highlight the impact of interpersonal violence.
The College Green display featured colorful shirts that members of the Penn community had painted with individual stories of interpersonal violence. The April 21 event was planned to coincide with Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Reema Malhotra Phillips, PVP’s associate director for education and student support, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the event is a “physical representation of survivorhood” and showcases “what it means to support someone who has experienced interpersonal violence.”
“It’s really important — not only to raise awareness of interpersonal violence within our communities — but to let folks know how different types of interpersonal violence can impact someone,” Malhotra Phillips continued.
Each shirt color corresponds with a different type of interpersonal violence. White, for example, represents death due to violence, while pink, red, and orange represent survivors of rape or childhood sexual abuse. The project aims to provide an “avenue for people to courageously share their stories” with the community, according to its description.
The display featured shirts, which PVP provides for attendees, from each annual clothesline event since the organization began hosting the initiative in 2022, according to Malhotra Phillips. She added that PVP organized this year’s display in collaboration with the Facilities and Real Estate Services, the Penn Women’s Center, and Wellness at Penn.
“We wanted there to be a yearly way for folks to engage with this content in a safe way,” Malhotra Phillips explained.
The Clothesline Project is a national initiative meant to “increase awareness of the impact of violence against women.” It began in 1990 with 31 shirts displayed in Cape Cod, Mass. Since then, it has grown to include over 500 displays across 41 states and 5 countries.
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Malhotra Phillips emphasized the importance of such events in helping people “truly understand what the impacts of interpersonal violence could be for someone.”
“I want Penn students to know that it is okay to seek out help, no matter how small you may think the issue is,” she added.
PVP held several other events this month to raise sexual assault awareness — including a “Well, What Were You Wearing” art installation and “Teal Day of Action” on April 7. It was also involved in organizing the University’s annual Take Back the Night march earlier this month in collaboration with Penn Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention.
