WPG tells stories of sexual assault with Clothesline Project
May 11, 2023
As you walked through the courtyard last month between classes, you might have noticed the shirts hanging on the clothesline that runs along the walkway. If you stopped to read them, their message becomes clear. Love shouldn’t hurt. Silence means no. One in five girls is a victim of sexual assault.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness month, which has brought the Warrior Performance Group’s annual Clothesline Project back to MHS. Each shirt on the clothesline holds a quote, statistic, or symbol that seeks to share one of the far-too-many stories of sexual assault victims. WPG members designed the shirts themselves and attached them to the clothesline, up for all to see through the month of April. This year, they further coordinated this project with the MHS Black Student Union, creating a calendar in the Breezeway that tells more detailed stories and facts for each day of April.
The Clothesline Project is a national program that dates back to 1990, and describes itself as “a vehicle for women affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a shirt.” Since then it has spread across the world, with an estimated 500 different projects. The clotheslines act as educational tools for people who come to see them, a way of healing for survivors, and a show of support and solidarity to those suffering in silence.
The Warrior Performance Group is a performing arts group that brings awareness to human rights through performance and service. Their recent Spring Show was a dance and poetry performance that spoke on social/political issues facing the nation today. With the Clothesline Project, they continue their work in standing up for human rights through the arts.
Taylor Kaminski, Vice President and choreographer of WPG, says, “I think this should matter to students because it’s super unfortunate that this happens to students that we all interact with at school every day. It breaks my heart and I think they deserve justice. I hope we can end these vicious cycles.”
