Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Alexander Cain
The Union-Recorder

October 07, 2008 10:48 pm

— The word of the day on the front campus of Georgia College & State University near downtown Milledgeville was “hope.”
It joined other words such as “healing,” “reassurance,” “comfort,” “caring” and “not alone,” among others.
These were words visible on more than 400 T-shirts that were on display on the front campus Tuesday as part of the Clothesline Project, an event on the GCSU campus this week being held to bring a greater awareness to the problem of domestic violence in Milledgeville, Baldwin County and across the United States.
“This is six years worth of T-shirts, and we are continuing to add new T-shirts each year,” Jennifer Graham-Stephens, coordinator of the Women’s Resource Center at GCSU, said. “This is part of a national grassroots awareness campaign to promote awareness about gender-based violence. Each of the different colored shirts represents a different form of violence.”
It doesn’t sound like much — until you take a few steps back to see rows upon rows of shirts on display, merging a rainbow of colors representing individual cases of domestic violence, each of which has touched someone within the Central Georgia community.
It’s difficult to tell which color shirt is present the most out of all those on display — but what’s not difficult is recognizing how many have fallen under circumstances that led to the creation of a shirt.
A white shirt, for instance, represents a woman who has died as a result of domestic violence. A red, pink or orange shirt represents a woman who has been sexually assaulted or raped; a yellow or beige shirt represents a woman who has been battered or assaulted; a blue or green shirt represents a survivor of incest or child abuse; a purple or lavender shirt represents those that have been attacked because of their sexual orientation; a black shirt represents women with disabilities who have been assaulted or abused and a gray shirt represents a woman who has been emotionally abused.
It’s a fairly direct display of the problems facing the community in dealing with and addressing occurrences of domestic violence — a display not lost on students such as GCSU senior Lisa Lopez.
“I think it’s a great that they’re doing this. It brings attention to domestic abuse against women. It brings attention to violence in general. I’m not really surprised at the number of shirts. This issue is close to a lot of peoples’ hearts. A lot of people have suffered abuse,” Lopez said.
Linnesia Latimore, an advocate with Baldwin County’s Successful Avenue for Family Enrichment program, or S.A.F.E., is more than aware of that fact, as she continues her association as a S.A.F.E. advocate with the Baldwin County Solicitor General’s Office.
“Most definitely there is a need to bring awareness on domestic violence to Baldwin County. We have worked at least 1,000 cases a year of domestic violence,” Latimore said. “The number is steadily increasing. Oftentimes when a woman dies, there is a focus on domestic violence, but after awhile the focus shifts to other areas, yet domestic violence continues to happen.”
To help provide a voice for those victims, many of whom may find themselves in hiding in shelters or afraid of an unknown future, GCSU professor Dr. Sheree Barron’s Psychology 2200 class will hold a public candlelight vigil to bring awareness to domestic violence Thursday at 7 p.m. on the university’s front campus.
“The purpose is the same as the Clothesline Project, which is to bring awareness to domestic violence in our community and the nation,” Barron said Tuesday. “The students are putting together luminaries to highlight the number of women and children who have lost their lives to domestic violence. This is a public event for both school and community and we are inviting everyone to attend.”
During Thursday’s candlelight vigil, there will be a poetry reading, guest speakers and releasing of symbolic balloons along with the lighting of individual candles, according to Barron.
“In the past four or five years we have done a march, but this year we are holding a candlelight vigil instead,” Barron said.
Back at GCSU’s front campus, GCSU junior Austin Carlson was found helping to take down the clothesline display at the end of the day Tuesday.
“I think it’s a noticeable way to make a stand and to raise awareness for domestic violence,” Carlson said as he struggled with a particularly thick group of T-shirts.
Noticeable and necessary, according to Graham-Stephens.
“It’s been very positive. Yesterday we had about 845 visitors. This has a powerful statement and I truly hope it will help to break the silence,” Graham-Stephens said.

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