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| Felicia Stovel of YWCA Wings program reads stories on body silhouettes during the Clothesline Project 2002 in University Park. |
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| A T-shirt honoring Cal Poly Pomona student Christina Burmeister hangs as part of the Clothesline Project. Burmeister was murdered last year. |
As part of national Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a hate crime memorial and the Clothesline Project 2002 were on display Tuesday, Oct. 22 in Cal Poly Pomona?s University Park.
The Cal Poly Pomona Stop Violence Grant Office, the Pride Center, the CENTER, the division of Student Affairs and Associated Students Inc. hosted the event in an effort to help empower victims of domestic violence.
The American Medical Association estimates that more than 4 million women are victims of severe assaults by boyfriends or husbands each year. That grim statistic doesn?t even include children and men who are also affected by abuse in the home.
The Clothesline Project, begun in 1990, is a powerful testimonial from survivors of assault, rape and incest who create several hundred T-shirts that are aired like dirty laundry.
Representatives from eight local agencies were available at the event with information on violence and prevention services.
The memorial closed with an evening gathering in University Park. Rhythm Womyn opened with live drumming followed by peer theater performances, a speak-out where survivors shared their stories and read poems, and a march through campus.